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5 


MAN  PROPOSES 

OR,  THE  ROMANCE  OF  JOHN  ALDEN  SHAW 


Novels  by 
ELIOT  R.  ROBINSON 


Man  Proposes, 

or 

The  Romance  of  John  Alden  Shaw 
9 

''Smiles' 

A  Rose  of  the  Cumberlands 

* 

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53   Beacon   St.,  Boston 


MAIN   PROPOSES 


I    \\K.\T  TO  MY  PLACE  WITH  THE  COLD  DETERMINATION 

TO    WIN    TII\T    MATCH    ".        (Stc   jxt(J(    ;>3 


MAN  PROPOSES 


OR 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  JOHN  ALDEN  SHAW 


BY 

ELIOT  H.   ROBINSON 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
WILLIAM  VAN  DRESSER 


"  Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes  " 

— Thomas  a  Kemp  is 


THE  PAGE  COMPANY 

BOSTON  *  PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
THE  PAGE  COMPANY 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 


All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  August,  1916 
Second  Impression,  March,  1920 


THE    COLONIAL   PRESS 
C.   H.   SIMONDS   COMPANY,  BOSTON,  U.   S.  A. 


P5" 
3535 


TO 

MY  MOTHER 


1521082 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    IN  WHICH  I  AM,  BUT  Do  NOT  APPEAR 

TO  BE  SURPRISED I 

II.     IN  WHICH  I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET  .      .     15 

III.  IN  WHICH  I  TOIL  NOT,  NEITHER  Do  I 

SPIN 26 

IV.  IN  WHICH  ARE  RECORDED  A  FEW  IM 

PRESSIONS      41 

V.    IN  WHICH  I  MEET  A  FAMOUS  DETEC 
TIVE    55 

VI.    IN  WHICH  FATE  SUPPLIES  ME  WITH  A 

FRIEND 67 

VII.     IN  WHICH  I  MAKE    AN    INTERESTING 

DISCOVERY 79 

VIII.    IN  WHICH  I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY      .     .     93 

IX.    IN  WHICH  I  BECOME  A  HERO  .     .     .   106 

X.    IN  WHICH  I  SCALE  A  CITADEL  .     .     .   120 

XL     IN  WHICH  THE  SIEGE  Is  COMMENCED  .   138 

XII.     IN    WHICH    I    LOSE    MY    HEAD    AND 

HEART 150 

XIII.  IN  WHICH  Two  START  OUT  AND  THREE 

RETURN 170 

XIV.  IN  WHICH  AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS    .   186 
XV.    IN  WHICH    OF    Two    MORE    ENGAGE 
MENTS      199 

XVI.    IN  WHICH    PRIDE    GOETH    BEFORE    A 

FALL 215 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII.     IN  WHICH  SOME  SPORTING  HISTORY  Is 

RETOLD 228 

XVIII.     IN  WHICH  OF  A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY    .     .  244 
XIX.     IN  WHICH  THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  AND  I  SEE 

THE  LIGHT 256 

XX.    IN  WHICH  THE  LIGHT  TURNS  TO  UTTER 

DARKNESS 281 

XXI.     IN  WHICH  THE  DIE  Is  CAST      .     .     .  291 
XXII.     IN  WHICH  I  BURN  MY  BRIDGES     .     .  301 

XXIII.  IN  WHICH  OF  CERTAIN  NEGOTIATIONS 

SUCCESSFULLY  CARRIED  THROUGH      .   315 

XXIV.  IN  WHICH  I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  UNTO  THE 

HILLS 329 

XXV.     IN  WHICH   MORE  THAN   Two   YEARS 

PASS 342 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


DETERMINATION      TO      WIN      THAT      MATCH 

(See  page  237)         .         .         .          Frontispiece 

"  HE  PAWED   OVER   MY   MEAGER   BELONGINGS  "        .          36 

"  IN  OUR  HEAT  WE  HAD  BOTH  RAISED  OUR  VOICES 

UNCONSCIOUSLY  "  .  .  .  -94 

"  '  IT'S   A    CRYING   SHAME  TO   SIT    HERE    IDLY   AND 

GOSSIP  "'  .  .  .  .  .       258 


MAN  PROPOSES 


CHAPTER  I 

IN    WHICH    I   AM,    BUT   DO    NOT   APPEAR 
TO    BE,    SURPRISED 

IN  the  life  of  every  man  there  occurs,  I  suppose, 
at  least  one  incident, —  perhaps  a  closely  connected 
series  of  incidents, —  which  stamps  its  image  so 
ineffaceably  upon  his  mind  that  nothing  can  destroy 
or  even  dim  it,  save  the  all-obliterating  hand  of 
Death. 

For  my  own  part,  I  am  certain  that  no  matter 
what  may  be  in  store  for  me  during  that  part  of  my 
allotted  span  of  years  which  is  to  come,  it  cannot 
surplant  or  dull  the  recollection  of  that  never-to-be- 
forgotten  fortnight  now  nearly  five  years  past,  ac 
cording  to  the  calendar,  but  still  so  vivid  in  my 
memory  that  by  merely  closing  my  eyes  I  can  to-day 
live  again  its  joys  in  all  their  sweetness,  and  its  pain 
in  all  its  poignancy.  Other  memories,  even  of 
events  which  have  happened  since  that  time,  are  be- 

1 


MAN  PROPOSES 


coming  mistily  vague,  but  the  most  minute  and 
trivial  matters  even  of  the  day  on  which  my  "  Great 
Adventure  "  had  its  inception,  are  still  as  clean  cut 
in  my  mind  as  the  tiny  facets  upon  a  diamond. 

I  can  remember  thinking  somewhat  rebelliously, 
as  I  began  my  work  that  August  morning,  that 
I  was  beyond  cavil  the  very  busiest  man  in 
Boston.  And  indeed  my  thought  was  probably 
founded  upon  fact,  for  it  is  fair  to  say  that  the 
youngest  member  of  one  of  the  oldest,  largest  and 
busiest  firms  of  lawyers  in  a  big  city  has  at  the  best 
no  sinecure, —  and  such  was  my  position  in  the 
office  of  Thomas,  Richards  and  Henry. 

Not  only  is  such  a  one  continually  at  the  beck  and 
call  of  the  members  of  the  firm,  all  of  whom  — 
quite  naturally  —  expect  their  particular  cases  to 
receive  first  attention,  but  each  and  every  one  of  the 
remainder  of  the  office  force  is  forever  celebrating 
his  relief  from  a  similar  bondage  by  cheerfully 
placing  upon  the  already  over-laden  shoulders  of 
the  unfortunate  man  who  answers  to  the  most  lowly 
name  upon  the  office  door,  any  matter  which  may 
conceivably  be  regarded  as  beneath  his  august  con 
sideration. 

I  can  say  truthfully  that  I  am  neither  a  shirk  nor 
one  by  nature  particularly  addicted  to  whining, 
but  there  were  times,  nevertheless,  such  as  the  day 
of  which  I  speak,  when  even  my  willing  spirit  re- 


\     >  * 

IN  WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED       3 

belled  in  bitterness,  and  I  felt,  with  considerable  jus 
tice,  that  the  famous  Emancipation  Proclamation 
had  by  no  means  completely  terminated  the  institu 
tion  of  slavery  in  this  land  of  the  free  and  home  of 
the  brave. 

On  that  particular  day,  indeed,  my  lot  seemed  to 
me  especially  bitter.  The  combination  produced  by 
the  hottest  day  of  the  whole  summer,  the  realiza 
tion  that  one's  vacation  is  a  thing  of  the  past  — 
having  ended  the  evening  previous  —  the  sight  of 
a  desk  completely  covered  with  folders  of  old  and 
new  cases  to  be  prepared  immediately  for  trial,  let 
ters  to  be  read  and  answered,  memoranda  of  tele 
phone  calls  to  be  made,  and  notes  —  the  general 
purport  of  which  is,  "  Mr.  Shaw.  Please  see  me 
at  once  upon  your  return  in  regard  to  this,  or  that 
matter," —  is  hardly  likely  to  be  conducive  to  pleas 
ant  thoughts. 

"  The  daily  round,  the  common  task,"  may  fur 
nish  all  we  need  to  ask,  as  the  hymnist  wrote,  but 
I  looked  forward  with  no  very  keen  anticipation  to 
fifty  weeks  of  this  sort  of  thing  before  another 
season's  vacation  should  bring  respite. 

So,  perhaps,  I  can  scarcely  be  blamed  for  having 
tittered  an  earnest  and  soul  satisfying  "  Damna 
tion!  "  when  the  telephone  bell  at  my  elbow  jangled 
noisily  for  the  fifth  time  in  ten  minutes.  I  jerked 
the  receiver  off  angrily,  saying  "Well?"  in  none 


MAN  PROPOSES 


too  pleasant  tones,  and  over  the  wire  came  the  tired 
voice  of  our  switchboard  operator,  "  Mr.  Shaw  ? 
Mr.  Thomas  wishes  you  to  step  into  his  office  im 
mediately." 

When  the  head  of  the  firm  "  requests,"  the 
youngest  member  thereof  stands  not  upon  the  order 
of  his  going,  but  goes  at  once.  Needless  to  say,  I 
went,  saying  savagely  to  myself,  "  I  hope  to  heaven 
he  fires  me,"  although,  in  fact,  I  hoped  nothing  of 
the  sort. 

A  few  seconds  later  I  stood  within  the  compara 
tively  cool,  dimly  lighted  and  beautifully  appointed 
office  of  the  chief,  and  was  listening  to  the  bland 
greeting  of  that  famous  lawyer,  to  which  was 
joined  the  kindly  expressed  hope  that  I  had  en 
joyed  and  been  benefited  by  my  vacation.  From 
my  reply  surely  no  one  would  have  suspected  my 
inward  feelings  of  a  moment  previous. 

Not  until  his  well-modulated  voice  continued, 
"  You  are  acquainted  with  Mr.  Willard,  are  you 
not  ?  "  did  I  realize  that  there  was  a  third  person 
present. 

I  was.  And  who,  in  Boston,  was  not  acquainted 
with  him,  at  least  by  reputation?  Was  he  not  at 
this  time  the  acknowledged  leader  of  Hub  society, 
wealthy,  handsome,  a  member  of  the  Back  Bay's 
aristocratic  lineage,  an  exceptionally  capable  busi 
ness  man,  and,  in  the  world-  of  sport  known  as  a 


WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED 

yachtsman,  hunter,  tennis  star  and  polo  player  par 
excellence  ? 

Moreover,  he  had  recently  been  more  than  usu 
ally  in  the  public  eye  because  of  his  romantic  mar 
riage,  only  a.  fortnight  previous,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Lee,  one  of  Virginia's  most  beautiful  young  de 
butantes,  herself  the  possessor  of  very  considerable 
fortune  as  well  as  exceptional  loveliness,  'twas  said. 
With  this  fact  fresh  in  mind,  and  *  recalling  the 
newspaper  items  , which  'stated  that  the  happy 
couple  had  sailed  immediately  after  the  marriage 
ceremony  on  Mr.  Willard's  steam  yacht,  The  En 
chantress,  for  a  lengthy  honeymoon  in  the  Mediter 
ranean,  I  was  considerably  astonished  at  his  pres 
ence  in  our  office. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  knew  Mr.  Willard  per 
sonally  somewhat,  having  met  him  socially  a  num 
ber  of  times  and  played  tennis  against  him  at  Long- 
wood,  and  I  had  also,  as  it  chanced,  the  previous 
year  tried  a  small  unimportant  case  for  him,  so  I 
answered  in  the  affirmative  and  we  exchanged  the 
usual  perfunctory  greetings. 

As  we  shook  hands  the  thought  struck  me  that 
his  clasp  was  nervous  and  feverish,  and  a  quick 
glance  at  his  face  disclosed  unmistakable  indications 
of  worry  and  a  strong  hidden  emotion. 

"  Please  be  seated,  Mr.  Shaw,"  said  the  chief. 

"  Have  a  cigar,  Shaw  ? "  broke  in  Mr.  Willard 


v    -^(-    -« 

6  MAN  PROPOSES 


nervously,  at  the  same  time  selecting  one  for  him 
self  from  a  monogrammed  silver. case. 

I  glanced  t enquiringly  toward  Mr.  Thomas,  for 
by  an  unwritten  law,  smoking  in  the  office  —  by  any 
member  of  the  force  at  least  —  was  tabooed  since 
the  head  did  not  indulge  in  the  solacing  weed  him 
self,  and  in  this  sanctum  sanctorum  not  to  be 
thought  of. 

He  caught  my  questioning  glance  as  I  was  on  the 
point  of  refusing,  and  said,  with  the  suggestion  of 
a  smile,  "  By  all  means,  if  you  care  to.  I  should 
imagine  that  friend  Willard's  brand  might  be  some 
what  different  from  that  which  you  are  accustomed 
to, —  at  least  if  your  income  is  limited  to  what 
you  receive  from  us.  Their  mellifluous  fragrance 
makes  even  me  wish  at  times  that  I  could  afford  to 
indulge  in  the  frivolity  of  smoking." 

Such  an  invitation  was  not  to  be  refused  lightly. 
I  accepted  the  proffered  cigar  accordingly,  took  the 
chair  indicated  by  a  wave  of  Mr.  Thomas'  hand 
and  prepared  to  await  developments,  Mr.  Willard, 
meanwhile,  beginning  to  pace  restlessly  about  the 
room  and  having  frequent  recourse  to  his  cigar 
lighter. 

Being  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  my  chief, 
I  was  not  in  the  least  surprised  at  what  followed, 
but  I  verily  thought  that  our  client  would  go  mad 
with  impatience. 


IX  WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED       7 

Mr.  Thomas  turned  to  his  desk,  deliberately 
opened  and  read  a  letter,  rang  for  his  secretary, 
dictated  an  answer,  and  then  turning,  regarded  me 
in  silence  for  a  full  moment.  I  glanced  at  Mr. 
Willard  fully  expecting  him  to  explode. 

Finally  my  chief  spoke  quietly. 

"  What  you  may  learn  here  this  morning,  Mr. 
Shaw,  we  shall  expect  you  to  regard  as  told  in  the 
strictest  confidence.  Whether  we  do  or  do  not  de 
cide  to  call  upon  you  further  in  this  matter,  you 
will,  of  course,  refrain  from  mentioning  this  con 
ference  or  its  purport  to  a  person.  That  is  under 
stood." 

I  effected  something  between  a  nod  and  bow  of 
assent. 

.  "  I  am  somewhat  acquainted  with  your  antece 
dents.  Your  good  father  is  a  warm  friend  of 
mine,  and  I  may  say  that  during  the  years  that  you 
have  been  associated  with  me  I  have  seen  nothing 
to  indicate  that  you  are  not  a  worthy  representative 
of  a  splendid  family." 

At  these  unexpected  words  of  commendation, 
I  felt  my  face  grow  red  with  embarrassed  pleas 
ure.  Praise  from  Caesar  was  praise  indeed,  and 
Mr.  Thomas  was  never  noted  for  fulsome  flat 
tery. 

"  First,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few,  perhaps  unusual, 
questions  about  yourself,  if  you  do  not  object." 


8 MAN  PROPOSES 

The  last  sentence  was  spoken  with  a  rising  inflection 
and  I  bowed  again,  concealing  as  well  as  I  could  my 
astonishment  at  this  decidedly  unusual  opening  to 
a  legal  conference. 

"  If  I  recall  correctly,  you  went  to  Harvard  and 
the  Harvard  Law  School?"  Again  I  gave  my  as 
sent.  "  And  I  have  been  given  to  understand  that 
you  may  be  called  the  society  member  of  our  office," 
he  continued  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

I  laughed  with  embarrassment,  replying,  "  I'm 
afraid  that  I  cannot  lay  much  claim  to  such  a  repu 
tation,  sir,  even  if  I  should  care  to.  My  successes 
in  that  line,  if  any,  are  pretty  well  restricted  to  the 
narrow  limits  of  my  home  town." 

"  I  hope  that  you  will  pardon  my  apparent  curi 
osity  but, —  you  sing,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  a  little." 

"Play  golf,  tennis,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing?" 

This  time  my  assent  was  more  unqualifiedly 
given  for  although  I  was  no  Travers  or  Larned,  I 
held  my  ability  in  sport  in  rather  high  regard,  and  a 
recent  triumph  on  the  courts  over  Mr.  Willard  him 
self  lent  some  color  to  my  high  opinion  of  my  skill 
as  a  racket  wielder. 

"Dance?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  In  short,  you  are  fairly  well  supplied  with  all 
the  social  graces." 


IN  WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED       9 

I  did  not  know  whether  to  take  this  as  a  com 
pliment  or  the  reverse,  so  wisely  said  nothing  in 
reply. 

"Are  you  acquainted  with  Newport?  " 

"  Somewhat,  sir.  I  have  played  several  times  in 
the  National  tennis  championship  there,  and  know 
the  city  fairly  well." 

"  How  about  the  summer  society  folks  ?  The 
'  four  hundred,'  I  believe  they  are  sometimes 
called." 

By  this  time  my  previous  astonishment  over  his 
peculiar  questions  had  shrunk  into  insignificance, 
but,  in  as  matter  a  fact  manner  as  possible,  I  an 
swered,  "  If  I  can  claim  acquaintance  with  any  of 
them  it  is  extremely  limited.  I  knew  a  few  of  my 
own  generation  at  college,  but  can  scarcely  claim 
intimacy  with  any  of  them." 

"  Conversely  they  would  not  know  you  in 
timately,  or  know  of  your  connection  with  this 
office.  That  is  excellent,"  he  added,  nod 
ding. 

"  Are  you  familiar  with  the  so-called  '  cottages  ' 
along  Bellevue  Avenue  and  the  cliffs?" 

"  Oh,  I  know  most  of  them  by  name,  of  course. 
I  have  taken  friends  on  the  Ocean  Drive  with  the 
local  jehus  and  have  had  them  pointed  out  to  me  a 
number  of  times." 

"  Have  you  the  entree  to  any  of  them  ?  " 


10 


At  this  I  could  not  help  laughing  outright. 
"  Certainly  not  in  the  manner  your  question  sug 
gests,  Mr.  Thomas.  I've  been  inside  '  The  Break 
ers  '  on  one  or  two  occasions  at  charity  bazaars  and 
plays,  and  once  I  went  through  the  Oilman  resi 
dence  on  Bellevue  Avenue." 

At  this  statement  Mr.  Willard  stopped  his  pacing 
abruptly  and  asked  in  a  startled  voice,  "  What  was 
the  occasion  of  that  visit?  " 

"  Well,  I'm  not  sure  that  it  was  altogether  credi 
table  to  me,  Mr.  Willard.  It  came  about  as  the  re 
sult  of  a  wager  I  once  made  with  a  tennis  friend 
when  I  was  considerably  younger  than  I  am  now. 
We  had  been  commenting  none  too  politely  upon 
the  society  of  Newport  as  a  close  corporation,  and 
he  finally  bet  that  I  could  not,  without  introduction, 
gain  access  to  one  of  their  homes  and  go  all  over 
it.  I  won  the  wager,  that's  all." 

"  How  ? "  interrupted  my  chief,  with  a  slight 
show  of  interest. 

"  It  was  really  largely  a  matter  of  luck.  I  heard 
that  there  was  to  be  a  big  reception  at  the  Oilman 
residence  the  next  night,  and,  with  more  nerve  than 
modesty,  seized  the  occasion  when  the  decorators 
were  at  work,  to  enter  and  gratuitously  help  direct 
the  arrangements.  The  workmen  evidently  thought 
that  I  was  one  of  the  household,  and  the  family 
and  servants  took  the  opposite  view,  apparently 


IN  WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED     11 

taking  it  for  granted  that  I  was  in  charge  of  the 
work,  I  made  suggestions  so  liberally.  At  any 
rate  I  saw  the  palace  from  garret  to  cellar.  And  I 
remember  that  I  was  rather  proud  of  the  finished 
decorations." 

The  unusual  trend  of  these  questions  had  now 
put  me  on  my  mettle,  and  as  I  finished  this  story  I 
saw  a  glance  pass  between  Mr.  Thomas  and  his 
client,  and,  out  of  the  tail  of  my  eye,  caught  the 
latter's  nod  of  assent,  and  I  saw  his  lips  form  the 
words,  "  He'll  do." 

Another  moment's  pause  succeeded.  Then  Mr. 
Thomas  said  abruptly,  "  You  are  perhaps  aware, 
Mr.  Shaw,  that  Mr.  Willard  was  married  a  fort 
night  ago." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  read  with  interest  the  account  of  his 
marriage  at  the  time.  May  I  tender  my  belated 
congratulations,  sir  ? "  I  added,  addressing  the 
bridegroom,  but  as  I  did  so  I  noticed  that  Mr. 
Thomas'  hand  was  raised  slightly  from  his  desk  as 
though  in  warning,  and  the  look  of  pain  which 
passed  over  Mr.  Willard's  countenance  told  me  that 
for  some,  to  me  unknown,  reason,  I  had  put  my  foot 
in  it. 

My  chief  terminated  the  awkward  silence  which 
ensued  after  my  commonplace  though  apparently 
inopportune  remark,  by  saying, 

"  Friend  Willard  is,  I  am  sure,  to  be  congratu- 


12 MAN  PROPOSES 

lated,  although  just  at  the  present  moment,  there  is 
a  little  cloud  temporarily  obscuring  the  sunlight  of 
his  felicity." 

"'A  little  cloud!'  My  God,  Thomas,  do  you 
call  this  thing  little! "  burst  out  the  latter  vehe 
mently,  his  voice  trembling  with  pent-up  emotion. 

Without  answering  him,  and  without  comment, 
the  chief  passed  me  a  letter  which  bore  the  caption 
of  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  attorneys  in  New 
York  and  was  dated  the  previous  week. 

It  ran: 

"  Roland  Lawrence  Willard,  Esq., 

Beacon  Street, 

Boston,  Massachusetts. 
"  Dear  sir : 

"  It  is  with  the  greatest  regret  that  we  find  it  en- 
cumbent  upon  us  to  advise  you  that  your  wife,  Mar 
garet  Lee  Willard,  has  retained  us  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  against  you  a  libel  for  divorce. 

"  We  may  say  that  this  contemplated  move  on  her 
part  is  taken  against  our  advice,  and  that  we  are  writ 
ing  you  on  our  own  initiative. 

"  Were  she  to  know  of  this  action,  it  would  un 
doubtedly  meet  with  her  disapprobation.  We  feel, 
however,  that  under  the  exceptional  circumstances 
which  exist,  it  is  only  right  to  inform  you  of  the  situa 
tion  before  the  libel  is  entered,  so  that  you  may  have 
an  opportunity  for  effecting  a  reconciliation,  if  such  is 
possible  and  should  be  your  desire. 

"  Mrs.  Willard  alleges  as  cause  for  her  action,  cruel 


IN  WHICH  I  AM  SURPRISED     13 

and  abusive  treatment  suffered  by  her  upon  the  day  of 
your  wedding,  as  a  result  of  which,  as  you  are  aware, 
she  left  you  that  afternoon.  We  must  further  advise 
you  that,  in  our  opinion,  the  facts  which  she  sets  forth 
are,  from  a  legal  standpoint,  sufficient  to  constitute 
cause  for  divorce,  yet  we  cannot  help  but  believe  that 
your  actions,  of  which  she  complains,  are  capable  of 
some  explanation,  and  should  not  be  used  as  the  basis 
for  such  a  serious  breach  as  she  is  contemplating. 

"  You  will,  we  are  sure,  regard  this  letter  as  strictly 
confidential,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  matters  which 
may  be  regarded  as  privileged  communications  be 
tween  client  and  attorneys,  but  the  circumstances  are 
so  unusual  that  we  feel  justified  in  taking  this  course 
of  action. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  ABBOTT,  BROWN  AND  CUMMINGS." 

The  astonishing  contents  of  this  epistle  surprised 
me  beyond  words,  the  more  so  because  the  fact  was 
borne  in  upon  my  mind  that  two  whole  weeks  had 
elapsed  since  Mrs.  Willard  left  her  husband,  and 
not  a  word  had  been  printed  or  whispered  in  con 
tradiction  of  the  report  that  the  happy  pair  were  on 
their  honeymoon  on  the  broad  Atlantic.  Never 
theless,  I  managed  to  conceal  my  amazement,  and 
after  reading  the  letter  through,  very  carefully,  a 
second  time,  handed  it  back  in  silence. 

My  chief  regarded  me  quizzically  for  an  instant, 
then  said, 

!'  This   disclosure   causes  you  no   surprise,   Mr. 


14 MAN  PROPOSES 

Shaw  ? "  and  smiled  appreciatively  when  I  re 
sponded,  "  I  have  schooled  myself  never  to  show 
astonishment  over  anything  I  may  see  or  hear  in 
this  office,  sir." 

At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Willard,  who  had  been  pac 
ing  about  the  room  like  a  caged  animal  until  it  was 
getting  on  my  nerves,  broke  in  again. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  stand  this,  Thomas !  You  tell  him 
about  the  whole  cursed  mess,  and  I'll  talk  it  over 
with  him  later,  if  you  think  there's  any  use." 
Nervously  putting  on  a  long  dust  cloak  and  a  pair 
of  huge  dark  auto  glasses,  he  hurriedly  left  the 
room,  to  my  relief. 

By  this  time  my  curiosity  was  naturally  at  a  boil 
ing  point,  but  once  more  I  had  to  wait  with  an  out 
ward  show  of  unconcern  while  Mr.  Thomas  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  placed  the  tips  of  his  fingers 
against  each  other  with  great  solemnity  —  an  old 
trick  of  his  when  thinking  deeply  —  and  studied  my 
face  intently. 


CH 


IN    WHICH    I   AMf  TOLD 


"  Dm  it  ever  occur  to  youj  Shaw,"  began  Mr. 
Thomas  at  length,  "  that  we  lawyers  are  constantly 
running  across  situations  which  most  strikingly  bear 
out  the  trite  but  true  adage  that  '  truth  is  stranger 
than  fiction  '  ?  " 

"  The  average  persons  saturate  their  minds  with 
the  latest  novels  and  then  complain  bitterly  that 
real  life  is  a  dull,  monotonous  and  uninteresting 
thing,  willfully  blind  to  the  fact  that,  on  the  con 
trary,  it  is  simply  teeming  with  romance. 

"  The  commonplace  appearing  man  who  sits  op 
posite  you  in  the  street  car,  the  tired-looking  shop 
girl,  who  waits  on  you  over  the  counter  daily,  may 
be  living  out  a  romance  or  deep  in  the  throes  of  a 
moral  problem  story  which  your  author  of  the  lat 
est  '  best  seller '  would  gladly  give  a  thousand  dol 
lars  to  know  about. 

"  Every  day  of  your  life  you  listen  to  the  same 
sort  of  wit  and  wisdom  that  you  read  in  your 
favorite  fiction.  All  the  writer  does  is,  after  all, 

to  condense  and  eliminate  the  unessential. 

15 


4       .      .    - 

16 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  I'm  not  much  on  poetry.  Don't  have  time. 
But  one  verse*  which  I  read  some  years  ago,  and  the 
author  of  which  I  have^ja^otten,  if  I  ever  knew, 
has  stuck.  'This  life  M  I  full  of  a  number  of 
things  that  I'm  sure  we^PBuld  all  be  as  happy  as 
kings  ' —  if  kings  ever  are  happy. 

"  Take,  for  example,  this  present  '  mess,'  as  Wil- 
lard  terms  it. 

"  I  don't  know  yet  whether  it  is  going  to  turn 
out  a  tragedy  or  a  comedy,  but  what  a  situation  it 
would  make  for  your  skilled  writer-man. 

"  A  wealthy,  handsome  and  popular  man  of  so 
ciety  i —  our  friend  Willard  —  still  a  bachelor  at 
thirty-eight,  meets  a  beautiful  young  orphan,  Miss 
Margaret  Lee,  a  Virginia  girl  of  splendid  stock, 
and  possessed  of  considerable  property  herself. 
She  is  little  more  than  a  child  —  just  passed  twenty, 
I  believe  —  and,  from  what  I  can  gather,  quite  a 
different  sort  from  the  average  debutante  one  meets 
in  New  York  or  even  in  Boston.  Indeed,  Willard 
admits  that  notwithstanding  her  exceptional  beauty, 
her  chief  charm  for  him  lay  in  her  unsophistica- 
tion,  and  sweet  and  childlike  innocence. 

"  It  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight,  at  least  on 
his  part,  for  he  was  mad  about  her  from  the  start. 
From  all  reports,  his  courtship  was  as  impetuous  as 
his  polo  playing,  and  since  he  embodies  all  that  is 
regarded  as  fine  and  attractive  in  a  man,  it  is 


I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET          17 

scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that  she  surrendered 
shortly. 

"  A  few  weeks  after  the  engagement  was  an 
nounced  they  were  married  at  the  residence  of  the 
Gilmans  in  New  York,  Mr.  Oilman  having  been 
one  of  her  late  father's  most  intimate  friends  and 
business  associates.  The  wedding  was  small  and 
very  quiet,  for  the  Lee  girls  —  there  are  two  sis 
ters,  Margaret  and  Marion  —  were  not  widely  ac 
quainted  in  the  metropolis,  and,  moreover,  still  in 
mourning  for  their  brother  who  had  died  only  a 
few  months  previous. 

"  Immediately  after  the  wedding  breakfast  the 
party  went  on  board  Willard's  steam  yacht,  The 
Enchantress,  which  was  moored  at  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club  pier. 

"  The  next  incident  in  our  story  is  still  some 
what  cloudy,  for  the  recollection  of  the  hero  —  or 
villain,  as  the  case  may  be  —  is  very  hazy  about  it, 
for  he  admits  that  he  had  unfortunately  looked  upon 
the  wine  when  it  was  red  over-often  at  the  break 
fast  and  afterwards  on  board,  although  he  will  not 
bring  himself  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  actually 
intoxicated. 

"  However  that  may  have  been,  he  followed  his 
newly-made  bride  down  into  the  main  cabin  after 
the  guests  had  departed,  and  apparently  attempted 
to  become  too  affectionate  to  suit  his  wife;  in  short, 


18 MAN  PROPOSES 

to  kiss  her  without  her  consent.  In  his  condition 
it  did  not  occur  to  him,  he  says,  that  his  bride  could 
have  had  any  really  serious  objections  to  his  having 
drunk  more  than  was  altogether  good  for  him,  since 
she  came  from  a  section  where  heavy  drinking  is  — 
or  rather  was  —  considered  a  manly  virtue  and 
quite  the  usual  thing.  At  any  rate,  under  the  im 
pression  that  she  was  not  really  in  earnest  in  re 
pelling  his  advances,  or  laboring  under  the  false 
assumption  that  every  woman  adores  a  masterful 
man  —  he  must  have  been  drunk  —  he  attempted 
to  take  a  kiss  by  force. 

"  She  fought  back  like  a  wildcat,  and,  forgetful 
for  the  moment  how  very  powerful  he,  and  how 
slight  and  girlish  she,  was,  he  may  have  used  more 
force  than  he  realizes  and  have  actually  hurt  her, 
although  he  won't  even  now  admit  the  possibility  of 
such  a  thing. 

"  She  finally  managed  to  break  away  from  him 
and  ran  and  locked  herself  in  her  cabin. 

"  Some  time  later,  when  The  Enchantress  was 
well  down  the  harbor,  and  he,  having  had  time  to 
cool  down  a  bit,  sought  her  again  to  apologize  and 
*  make  up/ —  she  was  gone." 

"  Great  Scott,"  I  ejaculated. 

"  There,  you  see  ?  "  replied  my  chief,  smiling, 
"  and  I  am  only  giving  you  a  bald  statement  of 
facts,  without  attempting  to  dress  them  up  with  any 


I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET          19 

of  the  embellishments  that  a  writer  would  employ 
in  working  up  his  plot. 

"  Willard  was  naturally  wild  with  anxiety. 
Upon  questioning  the  captain  he  learned  that  just 
before  they  cast  off,  a  young  woman,  heavily  veiled, 
had  left  the  yacht  hurriedly,  but  his  informer 
merely  thought  that  she  was  Mrs.  Willard's  sister 
who  he  knew  had  stayed  aboard  after  the  other 
guests  had  left. 

"  The  Enchantress  was  immediately  put  about  on 
the  pretext,  as  the  other  members  of  the  crew  were 
to  be  told,  that  business^  matters  had  caused  a  tem 
porary  change  of  plans,  and  after  dark  Willard 
went  ashore.  The  captain,  who  is  an  exceptional 
man,  one  who  may  be  relied  upon  to  obey  orders, 
was  instructed  to  proceed  to  Naples  and  there 
await  the  arrival  of  the  owner  and  his  bride  next 
month. 

"  As  you  may  imagine,  Willard  was  about  fran 
tic,  but,  even  so,  he  had  sense  enough  to  decide  that 
he  must  locate  his  truant  bride  secretly  if  possible, 
desiring  to  avoid  all  publicity  as  much  for  her  sake 
as  his  own.  For  the  past  fortnight  the  poor  fellow 
has  been  keeping  himself  out  of  sight  like  a  hunted 
criminal,  living  in  a  small  out-of-the-way  apart 
ment,  and  disguising  himself  as  you  saw  him  just 
now  whenever  a  clew  to  her  whereabouts  necessi 
tated  his  appearing  in  any  place  where  he  might 


20 


be  recognized.  If  the  matter  were  not  so  serious 
it  would  be  ludicrous,  would  it  not: ^ 

"  His  first  step,  after  consulting  me,  was  to  en 
gage  the  services  of  a  leading  firm  of  private  de 
tectives,  and  to  furnish  them  with  a  list  of  .places 
where,  and  names  of  people  with  whom,  his  wife 
might  possibly  have  taken  refuge.  Among  them 
was  that  of  the  Gilmans  —  which  accounts  for  Wil- 
lard's  peculiar  interest  when  you  mentioned  having 
gone  through  their  residence.  He  knew  that  her 
sister  Marion  was  to  have  gone  with  them  to  New 
port  immediately  after  the  wedding,  and  there,  sev 
eral  days  later,  the  detective  located  Margaret,  like 
himself,  in  deep  seclusion.  Willard,  incognito, 
followed  her  there  at  once,  but  she  absolutely  re 
fused  to  see  him  or  listen  to  a  word  of  explanation 
from  him.  Then  he  tried  writing  to  her  but  his 
letters  were  all  returned  unopened  or  unread. 

"  In  the  meanwhile  came  this  letter  from  her  at 
torneys  in  New  York.  I  went  to  see  them  with 
him  immediately,  and  we  talked  over  the  matters 
at  length.  As  an  upshot  of  our  conference  they 
willingly  agreed  to  intercede  on  his  behalf,  but  a 
few  days  later  telephoned  to  report  their  complete 
failure.  She  was  still  utterly  obdurate,  even  threat 
ening  to  dismiss  them  and  retain  other  and  less 
conscientious  counsel  —  and,  needless  to  say,  there 
are  plenty  who  would  give  their  eye  teeth  to  get 


I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET          21 

hold  of  this  case  for  the  advertisement  there  would 
be  in  it. 

"  Then,  at  my  suggestion,  Willard  broke  his  deep 
silence  by  taking  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends 
into  his  confidence,  and  the  latter  attempted  to  act 
as  a  go-between  and  reason  with  Mrs.  Willard. 
He  did  succeed  in  reaching  her,  but  met  with  a 
mighty  chilly  reception,  and  the  moment  he  men 
tioned  her  husband's  name  and  attempted  to  plead 
for  him,  she  left  the  room,  and,  try  as  he  would, 
he  couldn't  succeed  in  seeing  her  again. 

"  This  is  a  queer  old  world,  isn't  it  ?  This 
thing  seems  almost  incredible,  and  yet,  the  way  mat 
ters  stand  now,  this  seemingly  insignificant  act  on 
Willard's  part  begins  to  look  as  though  it  were  go 
ing  to  wreck  his  whole  life  —  and  hers  as  well. 
Why,  you  and  I  know  Willard,  and  know  that  he 
isn't  a  rake  or  a  drunkard.  Indeed  he's  a  splendid 
chap,  infinitely  better  and  cleaner  than  the  majority 
of  his  set.  Wouldn't  it  be  the  very  irony  of  fate  if 
this  slip  ruins  his  whole  happiness? 

"  As  far  as  I  can  make  out,  the  whole  trouble 
grew  from  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Willard  is  not  only 
very  young  and  unsophisticated,  but  a  descendant 
of  an  old  Southern  family  of  hotheads,  to  all  of 
whom,  back  in  the  days  before  the  war  at  least, 
even  a  fancied  insult  was  the  signal  for  a  duel  to 
death,  and  this  fiery  trait  has  not  yet  been  eradi- 


22 MAN  PROPOSES 

cated  from  the  splendid  blood  which  runs  in  her 
veins." 

"  But  that  fact  doesn't  excuse  her  unreasonable 
attitude  now,"  I  broke  in.  "  He  has  shown  clearly 
enough  that  he  is  penitent,  and  she  has  no  right  not 
to  give  him  at  least  a  hearing.  What  the  little  spit 
fire  needs  is  a  good  old-fashioned  spanking." 

Mr.  Thomas  smiled  a  little  at  my  youthful  arro 
gance,  but  replied,  "  Perhaps  you're  right.  That 
might  be  the  solution,  but,  as  the  Welsh  say  in  their 
receipt  for  rabbit  stew,  '  First  catch  your  hare,' 
and  that's  just  what  we  haven't  succeeded  in  do 
ing  —  yet. 

"You  see,  we  have  apparently  come  to  an  im 
passe,  and,  moreover,  there  now  comes  the  unsatis 
factory  report  from  the  detective  that  both  Mrs. 
Willard  and  her  sister  have  left  the  Gilmans'  roof, 
although  they  still  seem  to  be  somewhere  in  New 
port,  for  he  has  seen  at  least  one  of  them  several 
times  recently,  still  heavily  veiled.  Somehow  or 
other  she  has  eluded  our  sleuth,  and  he  *  regrets  to 
report '  that  he  has  not  yet  discovered  their  present 
abiding  place." 

At  the  close  of  this  surprising  story  I  sat  silent, 
astonished  not  only  at  the  account,  but  by  my  chief's 
attitude.  I  had  never  seen  him  unbend  or  take  so 
much  sympathetic  and  human  interest  in  anything 
before,  and  I  doubted  if  anv-one  else  had. 


I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET          23 

At  last  I  said,  "  But  I  don't  just  see  where  I  fit 
into  this  extraordinary  tangle.  Of  course,  if  you 
think  that  I  can  be  of  any  use  to  you  or  Mr.  Wil- 
lard,  I  should  be  more  than  happy  to,  Mr.  Thomas." 

He  regarded  me  thoughtfully  again  for  a  space, 
then  said: 

"  As  you  see,  the  situation  as  it  now  stands  is 
this:  Mrs.  Willard  is  obdurate,  Mr.  Willard  has 
failed  to  move  her,  her  own  attorneys  have  failed, 
his  intimate  friend  has  failed,  I  have  failed,  for  my 
letters  to  her  met  with  the  same  sort  of  reception 
as  his." 

I  nodded. 

"  It  seems  that  it  would  be  utterly  futile  to  try 
again  any  of  the  methods  which  we  have  employed 
in  the  past,  at  least  if  she  continues  to  maintain  her 
present  attitude  toward  her  husband.  If  she 
should  voluntarily  change  her  mind,  why,  well  and 
good,  but  there  seems  to  be  little  likelihood  of  that, 
and  we  are  not  yet  ready  to  give  up  the  fight. 

"  I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  am  puzzled  how  to 
proceed.  Mr.  Willard  still  insists  upon  the  utmost 
secrecy.  We  have  this  thing  in  our  favor,  how 
ever,  the  New  York  attorneys  promise  to  take  no 
overt  action  until  we  have  had  a  reasonable  time  to 
make  every  possible  attempt  to  effect  an  under 
standing,  and  to  let  us  know  in  advance  when  they 
are  forced  to  proceed.  Now,  there  may  be  noth- 


24  MAN  PROPOSES 

ing  in  this  plan  of  mine,  but  although  it  is  consider 
ably  removed  from  ordinary  legal  methods,  it  might 
bear  fruit.  It  is  this,  in  short:  You  say  that  you 
are  fairly  well  acquainted  in  Newport,  that  you  al 
ready  know,  at  least  slightly,  a  few  of  the  summer 
residents,  but  not  too  well.  I  mean  by  that,  that  if 
you  should  gain  an  introduction  to  the  people  who 
are  harboring  the  Lee  girls  now,  the  chances  would 
be  all  against  any  of  them  knowing  that  you  are 
even  acquainted  with  Willard,  or  associated  with 
his  counsel.  If  she  is  still  in  that  city,  you,  with 
the  help  of  the  detective,  might  reasonably  be  ex 
pected  to  discover  her  hiding-place.  That  accom 
plished,  I  have  every  confidence  in  your  ability  to 
gain  an  acquaintance  with  the  family  with  whom  she 
is  staying,  especially  as  we  can  provide  you  with  let 
ters  of  introduction  to  several  of  the  leaders  in 
Newport  society.  If  you  are  successful  in  this,  the 
next  step  will  be  to  become  acquainted,  and  then 
on  friendly  terms  with  the  young  vixen  herself, 
and  to  this  end  I  am  counting  on  your  social  accom 
plishments.  I  haven't  the  faintest  idea  just  how 
that  desired  result  is  to  be  brought  about.  That 
is  distinctly  up  to  you.  But  you  get  my  idea?  I 
want  you,  by  whatever  means  you  may  find 
available,  to  gain  the  friendship  of  Margaret 
Willard,  and  then,  using  your  own  judgment  as  to 
the  method  to  be  pursued,  win  her  over  and  ef- 


I  AM  TOLD  A  SECRET          25 

feet  a  reconciliation  between  her  and  her  husband. 

"  I  need  hardly  say  that  such  a  task  will  require 
the  most  infinite  care,  patience  and  tact  on  your  part, 
should  you  decide  to  undertake  it,  and  that  there 
is  a  great  deal  at  stake.  Will  you  attempt  it  ?  " 

Such  an  astonishing  request,  which  gave  promise 
of  a  most  unusual  and  interesting  adventure  in  my 
wholly  uneventful  life,  coming  like  a  thunderclap 
out  of  a  clear  sky,  left  me  in  a  momentary  daze. 

Kaleidoscopic  thoughts  concerning  the  possible 
romance  in  the  situation,  the  prospect  of  another 
semi-vacation,  the  splendid  service  I  would  be  ren 
dering  if  I  succeeded  and  its  influence  on  my  fu 
ture,  and  —  most  of  all,  it  must  be  admitted  —  the 
recollection  of  my  desk  in  the  other  office  piled  high 
with  work,  work,  work,  raced  through  my  mind. 

The  last  thought  settled  it. 

I  rose,  and,  utterly  forgetful  of  whom  I  was  ad 
dressing,  and  of  my  own  professional  dignity,  said 
succinctly,  "  I'm  on !  " 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   WHICH    I   TOIL   NOT,    NEITHER   DO   I   SPIN 

THIRTY-SIX  hours  after  making  this  momentous 
decision,  one  which  was  in  fact  —  although  I  did 
not  then  realize  it,  of  course  —  to  change  the  whole 
current  of  my  life,  I  found  myself  installed  at  the 
Meunchinger-King  in  the  summer  capital  of  Amer 
ica's  Four  Hundred,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a 
young  gentleman  of  leisure,  certainly  a  new  man, 
at  least  I  was  nothing  less,  if  the  ancient  saw  about 
clothes  making  the  man  is  to  be  accredited. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  previous  I  had  con 
sidered,  and  would  have  said  unhesitatingly,  that 
no  man  could  have  been  busier  than  I.  Foolish  as 
sumption,  as  I  was  shortly  to  learn. 

The  eighteen  working  hours  which  had  intervened 
between  that  moment  when  I  left  Mr.  Thomas'  pri 
vate  office,  and  the  one  when  I  boarded  the  train 
for  Newport,  seemed  to  me  in  retrospect  like  an 
impossible  nightmare.  Yet  during  them,  I,  the  cen 
tral  figure  in  the  mad  scramble  and  rush  of  prepara 
tion,  did  little  or  nothing  of  my  own  initiative. 
From  a  thinking,  acting  agent,  I  had  suddenly  be- 

26 


I  TOIL  NOT 27 

come  changed  to  —  and  was  to  remain  for  many  a 
day  —  a  helpless  though  animate  shuttlecock  in  the 
moving  hand  of  Fate. 

Scarcely  had  I  spoken  the  words  which  were  to 
turn  my  life  into  a  new  and  unsuspected  channel, 
when  Mr.  Willard  hurriedly  reentered  my  chief's 
office,  saying,  "  Well,  Thomas,  what  is  the  deci 
sion?" 

The  latter  briefly  summed  up  our  conversation 
and  announced  my  willingness  to  do  what  I  could, 
and  our  client  gripped  my  hand  hard.  Turning  to 
me,  Mr.  Thomas  added,  "  From  now  on  until  your 
mission  is  accomplished,  Shaw,  or  until  you  are 
relieved  from  duty,  you  will  be  wholly  under  friend 
Willard's  direction.  And  now,  as  it  happens  that 
I'm  already  twelve  minutes  late  in  keeping  an  ap 
pointment  in  the  judges'  lobby,  I'll  leave  you  two 
together  here  to  formulate  your  plans  of  campaign. 
I  assume  that  you  can  start  at  once,  Mr.  Shaw." 

I  made  some  half-hearted  objections  concerning 
my  desk  load  of  work  needing  to  be  done,  but  he 
swept  them  aside,  saying,  "  Never  mind  that.  This 
present  matter  is  of  primary  importance,  and  I  will 
have  it  understood  that  you  have  been  comman 
deered  by  me  for  a  personal  case,  and  that  your 
other  duties  will  have  to  rest.  Anyway,  I  have,  for 
some  time  past,  been  considering  the  desirability  of 
having  another  young  man  come  into  the  office  to 


28 MAN  PROPOSES 

aid  with  the  routine  work,  and  have  one  in  mind, 
who  will  be  glad  to  come  in  immediately,  I  imagine," 
at  which  news  my  heart  sent  out  a  pean  of  thanks 
giving. 

Mr.  Willard's  earnest  conference  with  me  lasted 
fully  an  hour,  and  during  it  we  spelt  out,  step  by 
step,  my  proposed  method  of  procedure;  discussed 
at  length  every  conceivable  contingency  which  we 
could  imagine  might  arise  during  the  progress  of 
my  mission,  and  constructed  our  plans  to  meet  them. 

First  of  all,  Mr.  Willard  insisted  that  I  resign 
my  position  in  the  office,  saying,  "  It  is,  of  course, 
all  essential  that  the  fact  that  you  are  a  friend  of 
mine  or  associated  with  my  attorney  be  carefully 
concealed,  so  that  no  chance  remark,  even,  put  Mrs. 
Willard  on  her  guard,  and  if  you  are  to  play  your 
part  with  the  proper  conviction  you  must  be  wholly 
free  from  the  necessity  of  prevaricating,  no  matter 
how  mildly." 

With  some  inward  amusement  I  assented,  for, 
after  all,  it  seemed  to  me  that  this  would  merely  be 
beating  the  devil  around  the  bush,  since,  obviously, 
I  could  get  my  place  back  again  later.  When  I 
suggested  this  fact,  however,  my  new  employer 
gave  me  some  food  for  thought  by  saying,  "  I  know 
that,  but  if  you  succeed  in  this  matter,  which  has 
become  so  vital  to  me  and  my  happiness,  you  will 
very  likely  not  care  to  avail  yourself  of  that  oppor- 


I  TOIL  NOT 29 

tunity.  I  think  that  my  affairs  warrant  my  engag 
ing  a  private  secretary,  or,  perhaps  I  had  better  say, 
a  personal  legal  representative." 

He  likewise  made  it  clear  that,  although  he  would 
expect  me  to  report  my  progress  to  him  from  time 
to  time,  he  had  no  intentions  of  interfering  or  even 
making  further  suggestions.  I  was  to  run  my  own 
course  unhampered. 

To  give  color  to  what  might  prove  to  be  a  some 
what  prolonged  stay  in  Newport,  we  decided  that  I 
should  enter  and  play  in  the  National  All-comers 
tennis  tournament,  which,  most  opportunely,  was  to 
begin  a  week  from  the  following  Monday,  and  to 
give  me  the  "  open  sesame  "  to  the  society  in  which 
our  quarry  would  probably  be  found,  he  was  to  — 
and  later  did  —  supply  me  with  several  letters  of 
introduction,  indicted  by  that  friend  who  was  al 
ready  in  his  full  confidence. 

"  Now,"  continued  Mr.  Willard,  at  last,  "  since 
we  must  leave  no  stone  unturned  in  providing 
against  every  contingency,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few 
frank  questions  about  your  externals,"  and  there 
followed  an  exhaustive  cross  examination,  during 
the  course  of  which  my  interrogator  displayed  the 
keenness  of  business  acumen  for  which  he  was 
noted. 

He  subjected  to  a  searching  X-ray  examination 
such  intimately  personal  matters  as  my  worldly  pos- 


30  MAN  PROPOSES 

sessions,  income  and  wearing  apparel,  and  not  until 
that  moment  had  I  ever  realized  how  pitiable  meager 
they  were  —  at  least  from  the  standpoint  of  a  man 
of  wealth  and  high  social  standing. 

I  must  admit  that  before  he  began  to  dissect  them 
ruthlessly,  I  had  always  regarded  my  thirty-five 
dollars  a  week  and  occasional  fees  from  personal 
cases  not  at  all  a  bad  income  for  a  young  man  but 
three  years  out  of  the  law  school,  and  looked  upon 
my  clothing  as  excellent ;  indeed,  at  home  I  had  more 
than  once  been  dubbed  the  "  Beau  Brummel  "of 
the  town.  But  before  his  catechism  was  over  I  had 
begun  to  feel,  instead  of  a  sense  of  self-satisfaction 
over  my  possessions,  that  I  should  at  that  mo 
ment  be  standing  on  some  street  corner  holding  forth 
my  cap  for  alms,  with  my  poor  rags  a  source  of 
shame  and  ignominy. 

However,  this  matter  could  be  more  lightly  dis 
missed  than  the  others,  according  to  Mr.  Willard, 
who,  accordingly,  did  dismiss  it  lightly  by  saying, 
"  Well,  we  mustn't  overlook  the  slightest  detail 
which  might  cast  even  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  upon 
your  implied  claim  to  the  position  of  a  young  man 
of  means  and  leisure,  for  in  appearing  as  such  lies 
your  one  hope  of  getting  in  on  the  inside  at  New 
port,  as  you  know.  My  wife  has  been  staying,  and 
very  likely  still  is,  with  one  of  the  richest  families 
in  America,  and,  undemocratic. though  it  may  sound, 


I  TOIL  NOT 31 

the  fact  remains  that  with  most  of  that  crowd  the 
only  sure  method  of  gaining  admission  to  their  in 
nermost  circles  is  by  means  of  a  golden  key. 

"  I  will  place  to  your  credit  in  the  bank  a  sum 
sufficiently  large  to  cover  all  your  immediate  neces 
sary  expenses,  and  shall  expect  you  to  call  on  me  un 
hesitatingly  for  more  should  the  need  arise.  And, 
•while  we  are  on  this  subject,  I  want  to  warn  you 
that  you  have  got  to  be  a  free  spender.  If  you  have 
any  habits  of  economy  fixed  upon  you,  as  laudable 
as  these  are  in  the  abstract,  you  have  to  unlearn 
them  for  the  time  being;  and  that  may  not  be  as 
easy  as  it  sounds,  either.  You  see,  I  am  a  New 
Englander,  too.  But  this  is  a  case  where  good  busi 
ness  demands  not  thrift  but  prodigality. 

"  As  to  your  clothing,"  he  added,  "  we  need  give 
that  no  further  consideration.  I'll  turn  you  over  to 
the  tender  mercies  of  my  man,  Jamieson,  who,  by 
the  way,  is  quite  a  wonder.  He  will  enjoy  nothing 
more  than  having  the  cart  blanche  to  rig  you  out  in 
up-to-the-minute  apparel.  Don't  get  the  idea,  old 
man,  that  I  am  casting  any  reflections  upon  your 
own  ability  to  dress  well,  but  Jamieson  is  the  high 
est  court  of  appeal  in  matters  pertaining  to  wearing 
apparel,  and  has  '  What's  What  in  Togs '  at  his 
tongue's  end.  He  is  my  own  brains  in  these  mat 
ters  and  can  save  you  much  valuable  time. 

"  Now,  I  want  to  tell  you  all  that  I  can  about 


32 


my  wife,  for  any  information  of  this  nature  may 
come  in  very  handy  later.  Here  is  her  picture." 
He  drew  from  his  pocket  a  kodak  snapshot  of  a 
girl  so  lovely  that  even  that  inadequate  method  of 
portrayal  seemed  as  though  it  must  flatter  the  orig 
inal. 

It  was  taken  on  their  marriage  day  apparently, 
for  she  was  in  bridal  attire.  Her  veil  was  so  filmy 
that  it  appeared  scarcely  more  than  a  mist  over  a 
mass  of  dark  hair  done  like  a  coronet  high  on  her 
head ;  her  face  —  a  perfect  oval  with  large  express 
ive  eyes  and  a  sensitive  mouth  —  bore  a  serious  ex 
pression  which  gave  the  impression  of  character  to 
the  somewhat  childlike  beauty,  and  she  was  appar 
ently  slender  and  not  over  medium  height. 

I  returned  the  picture  after  a  moment.  There 
was  no  need  of  retaining  it.  I  would  know  that 
face  again  anywhere. 

He  regarded  it  in  silence  and  then  said  quietly, 
"  That  is  Margaret.  Her  sister  Marion  looks 
strikingly  like  her,  'though  somewhat  younger. 
They  are  twenty  and  nineteen  years  old  respectively, 
both  essentially  frank,  unaffected  and  out-of-doors 
sport-loving  girls,  light-hearted  and  merry  by  na 
ture,  but  of  late  their  life  has  been  saddened  first 
by  the  death  of  their  father  about  three  years  ago, 
then  by  that  of  their  mother  a  year  later,  and  only 
this  spring  their  only  brother  died,  leaving  them 


I  TOIL  NOT  33 

practically  alone  in  the  world.  By  these  three 
deaths  the  two  sisters  came  into  the  possession  of 
a  very  considerable  fortune  carefully  invested,  and 
a  large  estate  in  Fairdale,  near  Petersburg,  Vir 
ginia." 

He  hesitated,  then  added,  "  I  cannot  believe  but 
that  Margaret  did  love  me.  I  will  not  pretend, 
however,  that  her  grief  over  these  sad  losses,  and  the 
fact  that  she  was  left  practically  alone,  did  not  have 
something  to  do  with  our  early  marriage." 

I  expressed  my  sympathy  as  well  as  I  could  in  a 
few  carefully  chosen  words,  and  our  conference  was 
ended. 

After  calling  up  my  home  on  the  long  distance 
telephone  and  telling  my  mother  that,  for  a  period 
of  unknown  duration,  I  could  not  be  counted  upon 
for  my  usual  week-end  visits,  since  I  was  making  a 
trip  for  the  chief,  I  prepared  to  accompany  Mr. 
Willard  to  his  secluded  lodgings. 

And  so  it  came  about  by  a  queer  twist  of  fate, 
that,  little  more  than  an  hour  from  the  time  that 
I  had  opened  my  desk,  my  vacation  ended,  and, 
over  my  head  in  work,  had  sat  there  inwardly 
roundly  cursing  at  the  cruel  fortune  which  held  me 
a  slave  to  the  exacting  and  ungrateful  firm  of 
Thomas,  Richards  and  Henry,  in  that  sweltering 
heat,  I  passed  down  the  office  corridor  with  barely 
one  gloating  glance  into  my  prison  chamber,  and  so 


MAN  PROPOSES 


out  of  the  door  on  which  appeared  my  own  name  in 
lowly  position,  never  to  enter  it  again  as  a  member 
of  the  office  force. 

A  closed  taxicab  bore  us  speedily  to  our  destina 
tion.  There  Mr.  Willard  spoke  a  few  final  words 
of  instruction,  admonition  and  hope.  I  gave  him 
my  pledge  that  —  D.  V.  —  I  would  not  fail  in  my 
great  mission,  and  received  his  earnest  assurance 
that  he  really  believed  that  I  would  succeed.  His 
returning  confidence  was  further  evidenced  by  his 
hearty  handclasp,  infinitely  cooler  and  firmer  than 
the  one  with  which  he  had  greeted  me  that  morning, 
and  my  heart  glowed  at  his  words  of  implicit  faith 
and  trust  in  me. 

Then  the  accomplished  Jamieson  was  summoned 
and  presented,  and  immediately  I  sunk  from  my  ex 
alted  estate  of  trusted  friend  and  counselor  to  a  po 
sition  of  insignificant  nonentity. 

I  can  scarcely  think  of  Jamieson  as  a  personality. 
He  was  merely  a  type.  Call  to  mind  your  own  con 
ception  of  an  English  valet  and  you  have  him. 

I  towered  above  him  by  nearly  a  foot;  I  knew 
myself  far  his  superior  in  birth,  brains  and  estate; 
yet  before  I  had  passed  an  hour  in  his  company  I 
felt  like  a  mere  nobody.  Indeed,  after  twelve  hours 
spent  in  desperate  endeavor  to  meet  the  pace  he  set, 
I  mentally  assented  without  reservation  to  Mr.  Wil- 
lard's  remark  that  Jamieson  was  quite  a  wonder  in 


I  TOIL  NOT 35 

his  way.  Likewise,  to  the  phrase  "  The  Lord  pity 
the  poor  rich  " —  at  least  if  they  are  all  afflicted  with 
such  superior  man  servants  as  this. 

During  those  dozen  hours  spent  in  my  company 
he  bowed  servilely  at  least  a  thousand  times  —  or 
so  it  seemed  to  me  —  said,  "  Yes,  sir,"  "  Thank 
you,  sir,"  and  "  Quite  so,  sir,"  fully  a  million,  yet 
the  whole  time  managing  to  convey  the  impression 
that  he  regarded  the  performance  of  his  duty  as  a 
very  great  condescension  on  his  part,  and  me  as  a 
poor  untutored  savage,  pitiably  ignorant  on  that  all 
absorbing  and  important  topic,  "  What's  What  in 
Togs,"  as  indeed  I  was. 

It  may  be,  as  'tis  said,  that  no  man  is  a  hero  to 
his  own  valet,  but  the  present  instance  furnished 
the  exception  which  proved  the  rule  then.  In 
Jamieson's  eyes,  Roland  Willard  was  undoubtedly 
quite  the  paragon  of  all  created  beings,  and,  by  in 
ference,  I  gained  the  impression  that  he  did  not 
consider  me  as  worthy  of  a  place  upon  the  same 
earth  with  him. 

Not  since  that  time  (some  twenty-four  years 
previous),  when  as  a  small  lad  of  four  I  had  been 
tied  to  a  nurse's  apron  strings,  had  I  ever  been  so 
completely  personally  conducted. 

The  humbling  process  started  as  soon  as  we 
reached  my  "rooms," — they  consisted  of  a  me 
dium-sized  living-room  or  den,  and  a  bedroom  about 


36 MAN  PROPOSES 

the  size  of  a  postage  stamp.  Jamieson  sniffed  audi 
bly  as  we  entered,  but  discreetly  covered  his  slip 
by  blowing  his  nose  violently.  Then,  recovering 
his  poise,  he  suggested  that  he  be  allowed  to  glance 
over  my  wardrobe  as  a  preliminary  to  our  shopping 
excursion,  saying,  deferentially,  "  H'it  might  be 
well,  sir,  for  me  to  know  just  'ow  you  h'are  fitted 
h'out,  before  miking  h'any  suggestions  h'as  to  pos 
sible  h'additions  to  your  h'apparel,  sir." 

When,  with  many  inward  misgivings,  I  granted 
him  the  permission  asked,  he  thanked  me  as  effu 
sively  as  though  I  had  just  given  him  the  whole 
outfit  —  which  he  probably  wouldn't  have  taken, 
even  as  a  gift. 

Had  my  self-esteem  as  a  well-dresser  not  been 
undergoing  a  series  of  rude,  perhaps  fatal,  shocks, 
I  am  sure  I  should  have  found  the  examination 
which  ensued  ludicrous  in  the  extreme.  He  pawed 
over  my  meager  belongings  with  such  a  shocked  ex 
pression  upon  his  countenance,  and  indulged  in  so 
many  shakes  of  the  headland  grieved  duckings  of 
the  tongue,  that  I  almost  saw  once  more  my  rock 
of  refuge  at  Harvard  when  funds  had  vanished, 
Max  Keezer,  old  clothes  merchant,  and  half  ex 
pected  him  to  say  any  moment,  "  I  can't  gif  you  a 
cent  over  tirteen  dollars  for  the  lot,  and  I'm  tak 
ing  the  bread  out  of  my  children's  mouths  to  do 
that." 


*v'illil.i\     uflt, 

HE    PAWED    OYI.K    MY    MEAGER    BELONGINGS 


I  TOIL  NOT 37 

The  final  result  of  his  heart-to-heart  interview 
with  my  clothing  was  summed  up  briefly  in  the 
words,  "  Wery  nice,  sir,  but  not  'ardly  h'altogether 
suitable  for  your  present  wisit,  h'l  should  say  " — 
he  pronounced  it  "  sigh,"  and  the  tone  of  his  voice 
indicated  that  his  feelings  coincided  with  the  word. 

"  H'if  h'it  meets  with  your  h'approval,  sir  "  (my 
approval  indeed,  what  had  I  to  say  about  it?)  "we 
might  start  at  the  beginning,  thenk  you,  sir."  And 
at  the  beginning  we  verily  did  start. 

The  taxicab  was  again  requisitioned  and  we  were 
whirled  off  down  town.  Then  commenced  a  series 
of  brilliant  raids  and  sorties  through  the  shopping 
district,  in  which  Jamieson  acted  as  commander-in- 
chief,  and  I,  the  balance  of  the  "  light-brigade," 
whose  duty  was  not  to  reason  why,  make  reply, 
only  to  do  or  die. 

My  companion  was  in  his  element,  displaying  a 
wonderful  command  over  his  subject,  and  I  made 
no  suggestions,  for  I  was  sure  that  he  would  ig 
nore  them  if  I  did.  Without  a  pause,  'though  never 
ceasing  to  lament  over  the  lack  of  time  which  pro 
hibited  my  having  a  complete  outfit  tailor-made,  he 
rushed  me  from  boot  shop  to  haberdashery,  from 
haberdashery  to  clothing  house,  never  failing  to  pick 
out  the  most  expensive  one,  or  select  the  highest- 
priced  garment  or  article  therein. 

For  a  brief  time  I  protested  against  the  lavish- 


38 MAN  PROPOSES 

ness  and  extravagance  of  his  purchases,  thereby  ful 
filling  to  the  letter  Mr.  Willard's  prophecy  that  my 
habits  of  economy  would  die  hard,  but  Jamieson 
finally  silenced  me  with  the  crushing  reply,  "  H 'or 
ders  is  h'orders,  sir,  an'  Mr.  Willard  h'expressly 
said,  '  Nothin'  but  the  best  h'obtainable,  sir.'  " 

Fortunately,  for  my  own  sake  and  Jamieson's 
mental  condition,  I  was  of  normal  build,  with  pro 
portions  which  conformed  very  closely  to  those  pre 
scribed  for  a  six-footer  by  the  makers  of  styles,  and, 
as  a  result,  no  long  delays  were  necessitated. 

As  time  wore  on,  and  my  purchasing  agent  con 
tinued  to  drum  into  me  incessantly  that  Mr.  Willard 
would  actually  be  incensed  if  I  failed  in  a  single  de 
tail  to  have  my  equipment  perfect,  even  the  last 
scruple  of  my  New  England  conscience  vanished, 
and  I  found  myself  ordering  a  complete  new  set  of 
golf  clubs,  and  not  one,  but  two,  of  my  favorite 
eight-dollar  tennis  rackets. 

I  say,  without  exaggeration,  that  I  believe  this 
shopping  expedition  of  ours  established  a  world's 
record  which  may  last  for  all  time,  a  record  to  fill 
the  soul  of  the  most  expert  and  energetic  woman 
bargain-day  fiend  with  envy, —  a  high  water-mark 
to  be  striven  for  but  never  attained. 

To  my  keen  amusement  I  shortly  began  to  notice, 
moreover,  that  as  the  day  passed  and  my  capacity 
as  a  spender,  and  with  it  my  worldly  possessions, 


I  TOIL  NOT 39 

increased,  Jamieson's  attitude  toward  me  began  to 
undergo  a  marked  and  steady  reversal.  By  the 
afternoon  of  our  second  day  he  had  become  as  re 
spectful  and  servile  even  as  the  most  exacting  pluto 
crat  could  have  desired,  and  when  he  finally  parted 
from  me  with  a  fast  "  Thenk  you,  sir,"  his  hand 
tightly  clasping  my  small  tribute  to  his  wonderful 
ability,  I  indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  Verily,"  thought  I,  "  the  worshipers  of  Baal 
and  the  Golden  Calf  are  by  no  means  all  dead  yet. 
Jamieson  has  personally  constructed  his  own  idol 
and  then  fallen  down  and  worshiped  it." 

Before  the  sun  had  set  behind  Beacon  Hill  on 
this,  the  second  day  of  my  great  adventure,  a  train 
was  bearing  me  speedily  southward  toward  New 
port,  and,  in  the  baggage  car  ahead,  reposed  two 
brand  new  trunks  and  a  suitcase,  all  judiciously 
marred,  dented,  be-labeled,  and  inscribed  with  the 
motto,  "  J.  A.  S.,  Boston,"  packed  to  their  capac 
ity  with  a  complete  and  high-priced  wardrobe  from 
underwear  to  overcoat,  tennis,  golf  and  riding  cos 
tumes,  formal  and  informal  evening  regalia,  boots, 
shoes,  hats,  caps  and  every  possible  accessory  —  in 
fact  more  apparel  than  I  had  possessed  in  all  my  life 
together,  it  seemed  to  me  —  certainly  more  than  I 
could  hope  to  wear  in  a  year. 

And  thus  it  happened  that  upon  the  evening  of 
that  August  day  I  sat  on  the  veranda  of  the 


40 MAN  PROPOSES 

Meunchinger-King  a  new  man,  although  in  achiev 
ing  that  result  I  had,  myself,  neither  toiled  nor 
spun,  and  certainly  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was 
never  arrayed  like  unto  me. 


CHAPTER  IV 

IN    WHICH   ARE   RECORDED   A    FEW    IMPRESSIONS 

NEWPORT,  city  of  continual  contrasts! 

I  had  made  no  misstatement  in  saying  to  Mr. 
Thomas  that  I  was  well  acquainted  with  it.  Dur 
ing  my  three  previous  visits  to  this  fascinating  old 
town  —  for,  after  all,  despite  its  size  and  form  of 
government,  it  is  scarce  else  —  whither  I  had  gone 
to  participate  in  the  national  tennis  championship, 
I  had  come  to  find  that  it  had  a  peculiar  appeal  for 
me.  Excepting  my  own  city  of  Boston,  no  other 
place  that  I  had  visited  had  ever  drawn  me  so  irre 
sistibly,  or  made  me  feel  so  soon  like  "  one  of  the 
family  " —  I  am  speaking  now  of  the  city  itself,  not 
that  portion  which  has  achieved  world  fame  as  the 
summer  home  of  America's  aristocracy  of  dollars. 
Was  it,  perchance,  the  result  of  a  subconscious  pre 
sentiment  of  what  was  one  day  to  befall  me  here? 

And  where,  after  all,  is  there  to  be  found  a  city 
quite  like  it,  so  full  of  inherent  charm,  strange 
anomalies,  and  bewildering  contrasts? 

As  I  sat  upon  the  veranda  of  the  Meunchinger- 
King  that  evening,  musing  on  the  strange  circum- 

41 


42 MAN  PROPOSES 

stance  which  had  brought  me  there  so  unexpectedly, 
and  looking  up  Bellevue  Avenue  toward  Touro 
Park  with  its  historic  old  stone  mill,  famed  in  pic 
ture  and  story  as  a  relic  of  some  wandering  Norse 
man's  visit,  my  mind's  eye  saw,  not  one,  but  two 
cities,  utterly  distinct  the  one  from  the  other  in  per 
sonality  and  appearance,  yet  as  irrevocably  bound 
together  and  dependent  upon  each  other  as  the  Sia 
mese  twins. 

To  the  right  and  below  me  —  across  the  beautiful 
boulevard  which  marks  the  ending  of  the  old,  the 
beginning  of  the  new  —  lay  the  quaint  and  fasci 
nating  Newport  of  history,  a  city  still  permeated 
with  the  spirit  of  Colonial  days.  I  did  not  need 
to  wait  for  the  daylight  to  see  it;  my  mind  visual 
ized  it  plainly,  rising  sharply  from  the  harbor  front 
along  which  ran  the  narrow,  fascinating  Thames 
Street,  oldest  avenue  in  America,  the  steep  ascent 
made  by  many  still  narrower  cross  ways,  most 
of  which  bore  good  old  Christian  names  —  John, 
William,  Anne,  Mary  —  and  all  bordered  by  ven 
erable  hoary  trees,  and  little  old-time  houses  whose 
miniature  front  porches  or  steps  trespass  boldly 
upon  the  already  crowded  and  uneven  sidewalks. 
Antique  shops,  old  churches  and  burial  grounds, 
sites  of  historic  memories  were  there  in  numbers 
I  knew,  and  only  an  occasional  jarring  note  broke 
the  quiet  harmony  —  the  inevitable  "  movie  "  house 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS          43 

or  some  ultra  modern  building  like  the  magnificent 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  club  house,  then  being  built  for  the  sailor 
boys  who  nightly  filled  the  town  from  the  nearby 
training  school,  torpedo  station  or  battleships. 

I  knew  it  well,  and  loved  it,  too.  But  this  was 
only  one  part  of  Newport,  the  unobtrusive  quiet 
part,  which  hibernates  during  the  winter  months 
only  to  awake  with  spring  and  prepare  to  fatten 
upon  its  other  half,  when  summer  brings  the  tran 
sient  birds  of  paradise  which  are  supposed  to  shed 
their  golden  feathers  so  lavishly.  Supposed?  Let 
it  be  whispered  underneath  the  breath  that  some 
times  they  migrate  southward  to  New  York,  leav 
ing  more  unpaid  bills  than  golden  plumage,  'tis 
said. 

I  swung  the  searchlight  of  my  mind  to  the  left 
and  over  that  other  half,  and  lo!  there  is  wrought 
a  change  more  instantaneous,  more  astonishing, 
than  ever  Aladdin  with  his  wonderful  lamp  could 
have  effected.  It  is  a  different  world. 

Before  me,  close  at  hand,  stood  one  outpost  of 
the  old  order,  the  historic  library  behind  its  ma 
jestic  spreading  redwood  trees,  but  shortly  ap 
peared  the  advance  guard  of  the  new  in  the  form 
of  scattering  shops  and  offices,  branches,  many  of 
them,  of  the  leading  Metropolitan  houses.  A  little 
further  my  mental  vision  saw  the  world-famous  Ca 
sino,  summer  playhouse  of  America's  monied  pleas- 


44 MAN  PROPOSES 

ure  pursuers,  and  then,  beyond  it  and  beyond,  out 
to  the  awe-inspiring  cliffs  which,  two  miles  further 
away,  beetle  over  the  broad  Atlantic,  and  to  right 
and  left  along  these  magnificent  walls  of  seamed  and 
craggy  rocks,  palaces  and  mansions  of  marble,  brick 
and  stone,  vicing  with  one  another  and  with  na 
ture's  building,  in  impressive  grandeur  and  magnifi 
cence. 

Like  a  broad  unrolling  ribbon  of  dark  satin  lay 
beautiful  Belle vue  Avenue,  acme  of  the  road  build 
ers'  art,  by  day  and  night  the  thoroughfare  for  hun 
dreds  upon  hundreds  of  imposing  equipages  and 
motor  cars  with  their  liveried  attendants,  each  bear 
ing  some  man,  woman  —  or  child  —  whose  name 
and  fame  was  country  wide.  On  either  side  stood 
the  wonderful  "  cottages  " —  ironical  description  — 
each  flanked  by  broad  acres  and  perfect  hedges  of 
privet  (and  where  else  grows  privet  so  luxuri 
antly?),  extensive  lawns,  lovely  fields,  mighty  trees, 
God  and  man  in  harmonic  partnership  producing  an 
earthly  paradise. 

Many  a  time  and  oft  had  I  walked  the  length  of 
this  avenue,  and  one  way  or  the  other  along  the 
cliff  path,  my  soul  drinking  in  the  constantly  unfold 
ing  beauties.  Envious  I  may  have  been  at  times, 
but  never  begrudging.  I  was  no  socialist,  and  these 
external  evidences  of  the  power  of  gold,  instead  of 
producing  any  bitterness  within  me,  thrilled  me,  and 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS  45 

gave  birth  to  glowing  thoughts.  I  built  many  an 
air  castle  upon  some  vacant  spot  upon  this  Belle- 
vue  Avenue  or  the  Ocean  Drive,  and  ah,  the  day 
dreams  I  indulged  in  over  that  imaginary  time  in  the 
dim  future  when  my  ship  should  come  in,  for 
thought  is  free  —  even  in  Newport  —  and  'though 
the  monied  power  can,  and  does  erect  about  it 
self  and  its  possessions  barriers  impassable  to  all 
save  the  favored  few  who  hold  the  golden  key,  it 
cannot  keep  on  the  outside  the  man  blessed  with 
imagination. 

The  old  city  I  already  knew  as  a  friend  always 
ready  to  meet  my  advances  half  way,  but  the  new 
was  still  a  beautiful  but  haughty  stranger,  to  be 
gazed  upon  with  admiration,  nothing  more. 

So  much  for  the  past.  Did  the  future,  the  next 
few  days  or  weeks  in  fact,  hold  anything  different 
for  me?  Was  this  year  to  bring  a  total  readjust 
ment  in  the  aspect?  Was  I  indeed  destined  to  see 
the  brazen  gates  swing  open  before  me?  Was  I  at 
last  to  enter  the  charmed  precinct  of  this  kingdom 
of  the  world,  and,  for  a  time  at  least,  to  play  my 
part  in  company  with  those  resplendent  creatures  set 
apart  from  the  common  herd? 

Thus  I  sat  and  dreamed  dreams  and  saw  visions 
for  a  time,  but  soon  a  less  pleasant  thought  crept 
into  my  imaginings.  Even  if  I  should  find  my  lot 
cast  in  these  pleasant  places,  it  would  only  be  for 


46  MAN  PROPOSES 

the  moment  and  all  play-acting  on  my  part.  I  was 
not  sent  to  Newport  to  tread  the  primrose  path  of 
dalliance,  but  to  perform,  as  a  matter  of  pure  busi 
ness,  a  difficult  and  delicate  task.  I  must  needs 
banish  fond  dreaming  and  be  up  and  about  my  mis 
sion. 

Mentally  shaking  myself  together,  I  went  inside 
and  telephoned  to  my  co-worker,  Mr.  Willard's 
!  sleuth,  whom,  I  had  been  advised,  was  stopping  at 
the  United  States  Hotel  on  Thames  Street. 

Fortune  favored,  he  was  in,  and,  not  caring  to  be 
seen  in  his  company  at  my  hotel,  I  arranged  to  meet 
him  at  his,  for  a  conference  later  that  evening. 

The  clock  was  striking  nine  when  I  sallied  forth, 
plenty  of  time  for  a  walk  down  the  familiar  street 
before  entering  upon  my  real  labors,  and,  in  a  few 
minutes,  I  was  passing  beneath  the  arch  of  the  Ca 
sino  and  into  that  artistic  rambling  Norman  struc 
ture,  greeting  a  former  acquaintance  here  and  there 
among  the  gatemen,  and  on  into  the  inclosed  court 
yard. 

There  in  the  central  pavilion  was  the  splendid 
orchestra  —  symphony  players  all  during  the  win 
ter  months  —  deep  in  one  of  the  numbers  of  the  mid 
week  concert. 

How  natural  it  all  seemed,  for  during  previous 
visits  I  had  never  missed  one  of  these  concerts  if 
I  could  help  it.  The  pavilion  brilliantly  lighted, 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS  47 

the  mystic  glow  from  a  string  of  Japanese  lanterns 
beyond,  fading  quickly  into  darkness  which 
shrouded  the  tennis  courts,  the  illumined  face  of  the 
clock  in  the  turret  above  me  on  the  left,  the  pleas 
ant  "  feel "  of  the  velvety  turf  underfoot,  the  liquid 
strains  of  music  on  the  soft  night  air,  the  fair 
women  in  evening  attire,  strolling  about  or  seated, 
all  combined  to  create  an  atmosphere  whose  effect 
was  as  potent  as  wine,  and  my  heart  warmed  at  the 
thought  that  I  was  a  part  of  it  all. 

The  selection  which  the  orchestra  was  playing 
was  unfamiliar  to  me.  I  glanced  at  my  program, 
found  the  number,  and  suddenly  my  self-satisfied 
contentment  vanished,  and  a  chill  ran  through  me 
akin  to  the  physical  sensation  arising  from  an  un 
expected  douse  of  ice  cold  water,  for  the  words  I 
read  were,  "  Selections  from  The  Impostor." 

I  do  not  know  why,  at  this  moment,  the  mere 
suggestion  arising  from  that  final  word  should  have 
sent  my  soaring  spirits  hurtling  earthward,  unless 
the  nervous  tension  of  the  past  day  or  two,  and  the 
unconscious  realization  of  the  magnitude  of  my 
undertaking,  had  keyed  my  sensibilities  up  unnatu 
rally. 

But  the  fact  is  that  I  mentally  recoiled  as  though 
from  a  blow. 

Was  this  a  writing  on  the  wall,  a  mystic  warn 
ing  to  me  for  my  presumptuous  dreams  ?  Was  I  to 


48 MAN  PROPOSES 

be  reminded  continually  that,  after  all,  no  matter 
how  far  I  might  advance  into  the  charmed  circle, 
I  was,  in  fact,  an  "  impostor  "  ?  Was  the  truth  al 
ways  to  be  kept  before  my  mind,  plaguing  me,  that 
despite  my  correct  appareling,  my  —  for  the  time 
being  —  liberally  filled  pocket-book,  the  indisputable 
fact  that  as  good  blood  ran  in  my  veins  as  any  in 
America,  and  that  I  was  probably  possessed  of  more 
gray  matter  and  was  better  educated  than  most  of 
these  scions  of  the  false  aristocracy  of  wealth 
around  me,  I  did  not  "  belong  "  ? 

My  unpleasant  thoughts  were  interrupted  by  a 
somewhat  familiar  voice  beside  me.  I  turned,  and 
recognized  one  of  a  little  group  of  society  folk,  a 
classmate  and  former  glee  club  member  at  Harvard, 
Bob  Goodwin,  the  son  of  a  famous  sugar  trust  mag 
nate. 

With  him  was  a  magnificently  attired  woman  of 
middle  age,  obviously  his  mother,  and  two  stunning 
and  superbly  gowned  young  women. 

"  Down  for  the  tennis  ?  "  he  asked,  and,  remov 
ing  my  spotless  panama,  I  assented  eagerly. 

With  a  supercilious  nod  he  moved  away,  leaving 
me  without  the  thought  of  presenting  me  to  the  rest 
of  his  party  apparently  entering  his  head. 

"  There's  a  fine  sample,"  I  thought  savagely  to 
myself.  "  Bob  Goodwin  and  I  knew  each  other  for 
four  years  at  college,  practically  lived  together  for 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS  49 

days  at  a  time  on  glee  club  trips,  called  one  another 
by  our  first  names,  yet  here,  instead  of  introduc 
ing  me  to  his  party,  he  probably  thinks  that  he  has 
conferred  a  real  favor  upon  me  by  recalling  my  last 
name  and  recognizing  me  at  all.  I'd  like  to  kick  the 
puppy,  confound  him." 

But  the  sober  second  thought  followed,  "  I  had 
a  whole  lot  better  kick  myself  for  expecting  any 
thing  else.  Why  find  fault  with  his  attitude?  He 
is  simply  behaving  in  a  perfectly  natural  manner, 
the  logical  result  of  his  bringing  up,  and  is  fully 
justified  by  his  standards.  Whether  those  stand 
ards  are  false  or  not  is  beside  the  point,  but  there  are 
no  two  sides  as  to  the  falsity  of  my  own  position. 
I  am  a  rank  outsider,  nothing  more,  and  even  if 
my  well-laid  plans  mature,  and  I  manage  to  worm 
my  way  into  this  society  as  I  hope  to,  I  will  still  re 
main  in  fact  a  fraud  and  an  impostor  —  I,  John 
Alden  Shaw,  who  have  ever  raved  inordinately 
against  anything  savoring  of  sham,  deceit  and  hy 
pocrisy." 

I  almost  spoke  aloud  the  thought,  "  I'll  be 
damned  if  I'll  do  it,"  and  without  rime  or  rea 
son,  rushed  away  from  that  atmosphere  of  beauty, 
fashion,  music  and  laughter,  with  my  heart  hot 
within  me  against  it  all. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  not  until  that  mo 
ment  had  I  regarded  my  mission  really  seriously  or 


50 MAN  PROPOSES 

in  any  other  light  than  that  of  a  semi-vacation,  a 
lark,  perhaps  a  romantic  adventure.  Now,  for  the 
first  time,  strangely  enough,  there  rushed  over  me, 
like  an  engulfing  wave,  the  realization  of  the  utter 
falseness  of  my  position,  and  how  underhanded 
were  the  methods  which  I  had  to  pursue  to  attain 
my  end.  In  that  moment  it  seemed  to  me  that  I 
was  deliberately  planning  to  become  a  very  Judas. 
Had  I  not  undertaken  to  hound  out  a  young  girl, 
who,  hurt  and  frightened,  had  hidden  herself  from 
her  pursuers,  to  win  her  friendship  and  trust  by 
the  rankest  of  deceptions,  and  then  betray  her  for  a 
price?  The  mental  reaction  plunged  me  into  the 
depths  of  shame  and  disgust,  and,  once  well  started 
in  this  new  direction,  my  mind  swung,  pendulum- 
like,  to  the  other  extreme,  and  as  my  thoughts  grew 
by  what  they  fed  upon,  I  began  to  convince  my 
self  that  Willard  was  all  that  I  had  thought  he 
was  not,  and  that  his  young  and  lovely  bride  was,  in 
all  probability,  fully  justified  in  the  step  which  she 
had  taken. 

From  this  confession  it  may  be  gathered  that  be 
neath  an  outward  assumption  of  professional  calm, 
and  an  ordinary  matter-of-fact  appearance,  there 
lay  hidden  a  somewhat  turbulent,  over-sensitive 
spirit  subject  to  absurd  extremes,  and  a  supernor 
mal  imagination  —  and,  I  must  admit,  that  such  was 
the  case.  The  trivial,  but — -as  they  then  seemed 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS  51 

to  me  —  highly  significant  occurrences  at  the  Casino, 
shattered  like  a  bubble  the  mental  exuberance  which 
had  been  mine  for  the  past  two  days,  and  left  my 
mind  a  prey  to  morbid  imaginings,  wholly  out  of 
proportion  to  the  facts. 

With  such  thoughts  running  through  my  mind,  I 
walked  heedlessly  down  Bellevue  Avenue,  towards 
the  cliffs  as  it  chanced,  and,  in  a  brief  time,  my  up 
set  feelings  began  to  respond  in  part  to  the  mere 
physical  exercise,  and,  in  part,  to  the  calm  influence 
of  the  night. 

It  was  an  evening  fit  for  the  gods.  The  first  cool 
breeze  in  some  days  was  blowing  softly  in  from  the 
ocean,  bringing  with  it  a  low  hanging,  phantom 
mist,  above  which  the  stars,  viewed  through  the 
Florentine  framework  made  by  the  dark  interlacing 
branches  overhead,  twinkled  with  added  brilliancy. 

A  practically  continuous  line  of  magnificent  motor 
cars  hummed  and  purred  past,  their  powerful  lights 
boring  paths  through  the  half  mist,  illuminating 
those  ahead,  and  bringing  into  sharp  relief  the  heads 
and  shoulders  of  fair  women  from  whose  ears  and 
necks,  priceless  jewels  —  or  their  counterfeit  pre 
sentments  —  sent  out  a  myriad  of  tiny  flashes  of 
living  fire,  or  displaying  the  silk  hat  and  black  shoul 
ders  of  a  man  whose  worldly  possessions  staggered 
the  imagination. 

Newport  was  on  evening  parade,  and  the  wholly 


52 MAN  PROPOSES 

customary,  and  therefore  unostentatious  display  of 
wealth  and  its  outward  and  visible  evidences,  shed 
abroad  a  powerful,  though  perhaps  insidious,  influ 
ence,  which  in  turn  took  possession  of  my  mind. 

All  these  sudden  changes  in  my  mental  attitude 
may  seem  to  indicate  weakness  or  vacillation.  Per 
haps  they  do,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  I  am 
here  merely  recording  facts,  and  not  in  any  way 
trying  to  create  the  majestic  and  iron-willed  figure 
of  a  hero. 

However,  it  is  true  that  all  these  worldly  pleas 
ures  and  possessions  soon  began  to  seem  most  de 
sirable  once  more,  and  I  looked  forward  with  eager 
anticipation  to  the  time  when  I  might  hope  to  parti 
cipate  in  them.  My  proposed  method  of  effecting 
that  desired  end  might  not  be  wholly  ideal,  but,  I 
shortly  concluded,  it  was  not,  after  all,  so  very  repre 
hensible.  It  was  a  matter  of  pure  business  in  which 
I  was  merely  an  agent.  I  was  under  orders. 
Moreover,  if  Mr.  Willard's  story  were  true  (and 
I  had  before  that  night  felt  no  reason  whatsoever 
to  doubt  it  in  a  single  particular)  the  end  fully 
justified  any  means  which  I  might  find  necessary  to 
employ  in  obtaining  it. 

Once  reconciled  as  a  result  of  my  efforts,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Willard  would  live  happily  ever  after,  like 
the  two  in  the  fairy  tale,  and  upon  my  head  would  be 
showered  their  blessings. 


A  FEW  IMPRESSIONS  53 

As  my  thoughts  arrived  at  this  pleasing  conclu 
sion,  the  dazzling  headlights  of  a  big  car,  which  was 
just  swinging  back  into  line  after  passing  by  its  fore- 
courser,  swept  from  left  to  right  across  the  front  of 
a  machine  which  was  rapidly  coming  toward  me. 
It  was  brightly  illumined  only  momentarily,  but  I 
chanced  to  be  looking  squarely  at  it,  and  my  heart 
stopped  suddenly  and  then  began  to  race  exultantly, 
for  this  passing  glance  of  the  fiery  eye  had  disclosed 
to  me  seated  in  the  tonneau  two  young  women. 

The  nearer  one,  who  wore  a  filmy  white  veil  just 
at  that  moment  floating  backward  like  a  streamer 
in  the  breeze  which  the  car  created,  was,  beyond  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt,  none  other  than  the  object  of  my 
quest  —  Mrs.  Willard  herself. 

I  could  not  be  mistaken.  That  fleeting  glance 
had  left  stamped  upon  the  retina  of  my  eye  an  image 
which  matched  in  every  respect  the  picture  of  his 
runaway  bride  which  Mr.  Willard  had  shown  me, 
save  that  this  face  was  a  trifler  thinner  and  paler 
perhaps,  as  well  it  might  be,  I  thought,  considering 
the  real  or  even  fancied  trouble  she  had  recently 
passed  through. 

The  other  girl  may  have  been  her  sister,  but  the 
only  impression  I  had  received  of  her  was  a  mass  of 
brown  hair,  dark  but  indescribably  flecked  with 
shimmering  gold,  which  was  done  in  a  girlish  man 
ner  low  against  her  neck, 


54 MAN  PROPOSES 

The  light  passed  by,  and  the  car  and  its  occupants 
vanished  from  my  sight.  The  surprise  which  this 
wholly  unexpected  apparition  produced,  paralyzed 
my  intellect  for  an  instant,  and  when  I  recovered 
sufficiently  to  wheel  about  and  attempt  to  catch  the 
number  of  the  car  it  had  disappeared  into  the  mist 
and  darkness. 

Glancing  at  my  watch  —  the  only  really  old  and 
personal  thing  about  me  —  I  was  startled  to  dis 
cover  that  it  was  nearly  ten. 

I  had  forgotten  all  about  my  appointment,  and 
now  I  hastened  back  toward  the  city  with  swinging 
strides,  my  mind  gloating  over  my  discovery,  and 
eager  to  play  the  game  again.  As  the  clock  in  the 
old  City  hall  boomed  out  the  hour,  I  was  hurrying 
down  Pelham  Street  through  the  sleepy  and  sleeping 
old  town,  such  good  time  had  I  made.  Below  me 
I  caught  momentary  glimpses  of  a  fairyland  beyond 
the  low  buildings  which  lined  the  waterfront,  for  the 
inky  harbor  was  dancing  with  the  reflections  from 
many  lights  on  men-of-war,  and  those  floating 
palaces,  the  millionaires'  yachts. 

Breathless  I  entered  the  United  States  Hotel  and 
looked  around  for  the  detective. 


CHAPTER  V 

IN   WHICH    I   MEET   A   FAMOUS  DETECTIVE 

MY  acquaintance  did  not  include  many  detectives, 
but,  somehow,  in  the  back  of  my  mind,  I  had  the 
vague  impression  that  a  sleuth  should  be  tall  and 
spare,  with  a  long  drooping  mustache,  heavy  eye 
brows  overhanging  eyes  as  piercing  as  an  eagle's, 
and  tread  as  silent  as  a  cat's. 

I  looked  in  vain  for  such  a  personage.  The  only 
man  in  the  corridor  was  rather  short  and  decidedly 
rotund,  with  a  flushed  and  moonlike  countenance 
and  two  very  light  blue  eyes  with  wrinkles  at  the 
corners  which  told  of  a  merry  disposition. 

Furthermore,  he  was  exceedingly  bald. 

The  clerk  was  not  in  evidence,  so  I  approached 
the  aforesaid  stranger  and  asked  doubtfully  if  he 
happened  to  know  of  a  Mr.  William  Sherlock, 
whom,  I  understood,  was  stopping  there. 

"  My  name,"  he  responded  shortly.  "  Who  are 
you?" 

I  introduced  myself  and  proceeded  to  apologize 
for  my  tardiness.  He  acknowledged  my  humble 

words  of  regret  with  a  disconcerting,  "  Huh." 

55 


£6 MAN  PROPOSES 

This  was  scarcely  a  propitious  opening,  but  I 
ascribed  his  mental  state  to  the  broiling  heat,  for 
the  ocean  breeze  had  not  yet  penetrated  the  swelter 
ing  lower  city. 

At  last  he  suggested  none  too  graciously  that 
we  go  to  his  room  to  have  our  talk,  and  on  the 
way  thither  he  harangued  me  fluently  upon  the 
impropriety  of  a  young  man  like  me  keeping 
a  very  busy  one  like  him,  waiting  for  half  an 
hour. 

By  the  time  we  were  closeted  in  his  chamber  I 
had  entirely  changed  my  mind  as  to  the  cause  of  his 
flaming  countenance.  Mr.  Sherlock,  I  was  now 
convinced,  had  most  certainly  been  solacing  him 
self  with  the  cup  which  both  cheers  and  inebriates, 
and  my  lateness  had  apparently  been  the  excuse  for 
at  least  one  more  drink  than  he  actually  needed, — 
probably  several  more. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  conference,  if  conference 
I  can  call  it,  which  ensued. 

My  companion  lowered  his  bulky  form  gingerly 
but  impressively  into  the  only  chair  in  the  bedroom, 
filling  it  thereby  to  overflowing,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  find  a  seat  on  the  single  bed.  He  paused  long 
enough  to  regain  his  breath  and  then  began  to  talk, 
much  as  a  train  starts  on  a  long  journey,  at  first 
slowly  and  with  many  a  jerk  and  puff,  then  faster 
and  faster,  gesticulating  freely  and  impressively 


meanwhile,  holding  a  vile  smelling  cigar  butt  be 
tween  two  pudgy  fingers. 

Never  have  I  listened  to  such  sustained  grand 
iloquence. 

He  commenced  by  anathematizing  Newport  in 
general,  and  Newport  during  a  hot  spell  in  particu 
lar,  in  sonorous  rounded  periods.  Then  he  swung 
onto  the  subject  of  my  tardiness  once  more,  and 
from  the  impressively  reiterated  proposition  that  no 
man  had  any  right  to  keep  waiting,  even  for  an  in 
stant,  a  detective  whose  time  was  as  valuable  as 
his,  he  passed  naturally  to  a  vivid  elucidation  of 
just  why  his  time  was  so  very  precious. 

There  was  no  question  but  that,  at  this  moment, 
Mr.  Sherlock  regarded  himself  as  without  a  doubt 
the  peer  of  all  detectives,  and,  had  I  been  able  to  be 
lieve  all  the  exploits  which  he  recounted  in  sub 
stantiation  of  his  proposition,  I  must  needs  have 
agreed. 

But,  unlike  the  White  Queen  in  "  Through  the 
Looking  Glass/*  I  could  not  believe  the  impossi 
ble. 

As  I  sat  hearkening  to  his  steady  flow  of  eloquence 
with  secret  amusement,  I  began  to  find  my  mind 
groping  among  a  vague  association  of  ideas  for  his 
counterpart.  Suddenly  I  found  the  answer, —  Eu 
reka  !  My  host  was  none  other  than  the  reincarna 
tion  of  the  famous  Sir  John  Falstaff,  and  as  he  com- 


58 MAN  PROPOSES 

menced  another  tale  more  thrilling  than  the  last 
— "  But  that  was  nothing  compared  with  the  time," 
etc.,  my  mind  conjured  up  ten  men  in  Lincoln 
green. 

"  What  an  absurd  parody  on  a  detective  this  man 
is,"  I  thought,  "  and  no  wonder  Mr.  Willard  had 
not  been  getting  results."  Yet  I  learned  later  that, 
sober,  he  was  an  extremely  efficient  and  skillful 
sleuth,  his  appearance,  so  unlike  what  was  to  be  ex 
pected,  inuring  greatly  to  his  advantage. 

I  wish  that  space  permitted  me  to  recount  some  of 
the  marvelous  exploits  in  which  he  figured  as  hero, 
and  I  could  have  listened  longer  with  much  enjoy 
ment,  but  the  hour  was  growing  late,  and  I  finally 
took  advantage  of  a  momentary  pause  in  the  flow 
of  his  eloquence  while  he  rang  for  a  bell  boy  and 
ordered  another  drink  —  which  he  certainly  did  not 
need  —  to  suggest  humbly  that  he  get  down  to  busi 
ness. 

Mr.  Sherlock  drew  himself  up  with  injured 
dignity,  and  replied, 

"  This  present  matter,  sir,  is  wholly  unworthy  of 
our  consideration.  I  repeat,  I  reiterate,  I  say  it 
again,  wholly  unworthy  of  consideration.  The 
idea,  the  very  idea  of  a  man  of  my  ability,  my  un 
deniable  ability — (and  he  stared  at  me  threaten 
ingly  as  though  daring  me  to  question  it) — being 
set  to  perform  the  menial  task  of  spying  upon,  in 


I  MEET  A  DETECTIVE          59 

fact,  I  might  say,  playing  chaperon  for  a  mere  run 
away  bride.  The  very  idea  is  an  insult,  sir,  an  in 
sult.  Now,  if  the  young  lady  had  left  her  husband 
for  the  purpose  of  eloping  with  another  man,  ah  — 
(and  what  a  world  of  meaning  he  crowded  into  that 
'ah') — then  the  case  would  have  been  ver'  differ 
ent,  and  worthy  of  my  efforts.  Yes,  had  she  eloped 
with  another  man  it  would  have  been  ver'  differ 
ent." 

At  this  I  with  difficulty  suppressed  a  laugh  and 
could  not  help  feeling  that  if  Mrs.  Willard  could 
have  seen  how  badly  he  felt  then,  she  would  have 
been  thoroughly  ashamed  and  sorry  that  she  had  not 
provided  a  paramour  in  her  escapade. 

At  this  juncture  the  bottle  arrived,  and,  when  I 
refused  his  somewhat  hesitating  request  to  join  him, 
my  host  seemed  distinctly  relieved. 

"  In  fac',  I  might  say,  sir,"  he  continued,  "  that 
this  present  is  a  H — 11  of  a  job  for  a  man  of  my 
caliber.  I  dunno  what  th'office  was  thinkin'  of. 
Politics !  Thas  what  it  was, —  politics.  Some  one, 
in  fac'  several,  are  jealous  of  my  ability  'an'  they 
pull  strings  to  have  me  shent  down  to  thish  God- 
forshaken  hole.  I'm  dishgraced,  everlashingly  dish- 
graced,  thash  what  I  am,"  and  here  he  gazed  at  the 
bottle  almost  tearfully,  seeking,  and  apparently  find 
ing,  comfort  in  it. 

"  Dishgraced.     Sent  down  to  Godforshaken  hole 


60 MAN  PROPOSES 

to  play  chaperon  for  harmlesh,  half -sick  young  lady. 
Lovely  young  lady,  hup," — a  long  pause, — "  Gor'- 
blesher." 

Taken  with  the  close  atmosphere  in  the  little 
room,  the  last  bottle  had  proven  the  straw  which 
broke  the  camel's  back,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  my 
companion  would  pass  into  a  state  of  complete 
maudlin  intoxication  before  I  had  acquired  the  in 
formation  which  I  sought. 

"  Why,  she'sho  innocen'  she  doeshen'  even  know 
she's  being  watshed,  an'  she  would'n  giva  damn, — 
pardon  th'expreshion  " — (and  he  bowed  apologeti 
cally  as  though  the  object  of  his  remark  were  actu 
ally  present,  very  nearly  losing  his  balance  and  top 
pling  out  of  his  chair) — "  if  she  did." 

For  a  moment  he  straightened  up  and  took  a  new 
grasp  on  his  tongue.  "  Hard,  interesting  job  for 
a  man  ushed  to  wrestlin'  with  the  mos'  in-in-in 
tricate  problemsh,  hup,  hangin'  around  thish  God- 
forshaken  placsh  with  nothin'  to  do  an'  not  a  shingle 
shoul  to  do  it  wi'.  An'all  on  account  of  fool  girl 
who  doeshn  know  when  she'shwell  off.  Shay  what 
you  may, —  I  deny  no  one  the  right  to  hish  own 
opinion, —  Mishter  Willard'sh  a  perfec'  shent'le- 
man, —  perfect  shent'leman,  an'  rollin'  in  money, 
one  of  the  rishes'  men  in  worl'.  John  D'sh  a  pauper 
shide  of  Mishter  Willar' —  hup." 

I  thought  it  high  time  to  interrupt,  and  so,  as 


I  MEET  A  DETECTIVE          61 

tactfully  as  possible,  expressed  my  sympathy  over 
his  sad  situation,  and  added  cheerfully,  "  Well,  buck 
up,  old  man,  your  troubles  are  about  over.  All 
you've  got  to  do  is  to  tell  me  where  Mrs.  Willard  is 
staying  now  and  then  pack  up  your  grip  and  leave 
for  the  white  lights  of  New  York  town.  Where 
is  she?  Where  is  Mrs.  Willard  staying?"  I 
repeated  in  an  endeavor  to  drive  my  question 
home. 

He  looked  at  me  vacantly  a  moment,  then  replied. 
"  Dam-'fl-know." 

"What  did  you  say?" 

"  I  shaid,  '  Dam-'fl-know/  Thash  what  gets 
me." 

"  You  don't  know  ?     Why,  you  just  said  — " 

"  I  shaid  nothin'  of  short,  never  sho  mush  as  in 
timated  shuch  a  thing,  sir.  Why,  mi'swell  look  for 
a  needle  in  a  hayshtack  as  for  tha'  girl  in  N'port. 
Lef  Gilman'sh  lashweek.  Dishappeared  into  thin 
air."  He  looked  vaguely  up  into  nothing,  then 
glared  at  me,  adding,  "  There'sh  no  use  tryin'  to 
deny  she  lef  Gilman'sh.  I  had  it  shtraight  from 
shecon'  maid, —  one  of  shecon'  maidsh,  should  shay. 
Gilmans  hav'  hundred  shecond  maidsh.  Thash 
foolish,  can't  be  hundred  shecon'  maidsh.  Only  one 
shecon'  maid,  then  thir',  fourth,  fifth,  shixsh," —  I 
stirred  nervously.  Was  he  going  to  count  maids 
up  to  the  hundred? 


62 MAN  PROPOSES 

But  no,  he  here  reverted  to  his  original  thought, 
saying,  "  Always  shtand  in  wi'  the  shecon'  maidsh 
an'  kitchen  mechanics,  thash  my  motto,  greatesh 
li'l  helpers  in  the  worT,  Gor  blesh  'em.  Alwaysh 
make  love  to  ash  many  ash  possible.  Why,  would 
you  believe  me — (his  voice  sunk  to  a  confiding 
whisper)  fool  shecon', —  the  big  blond  one, — 
achually  believesh  I'm  goin'  to  marry  her  nex' 
week.  Huh,  marry  her  an'  get  'reshted  for  bigamy  ? 
Not  mush.  But  thasha  dope.  Make  love  to  'em 
an'  they'll  tell  you  all  they  know,  an'  more, —  in 
finitely  more." 

"  I'm  very  glad  to  know  about  your  system,"  I 
replied,  "  and  I'm  sure  that  it  works  like  a  charm, 
but  just  now  I'm  a  good  deal  more  interested  in 
locating  Mrs.  Willard.  I  understand  that  she  had 
left  the  Gilmans  as  you  say,  but  from  your  remarks 
about  this  task  of  yours  being  too  easy  for  a  man  of 
your  talents  I  assumed  that  you  had  located  her 
again." 

"  Wholly  unwarranted  'sumption,  sir.  An'  ash 
for  tas'  being  easy, —  don'  fool  yoursel',  my  f rien', 
don'  fool  yoursel'.  Why,  she'sh  shlickes'  li'l  propo- 
shition  I've  run  tip  against  in  week  of  Shundays." 

He  leaned  forward  confidentially  and  tapped  my 
knee  with  his  fat  forefinger.  "  She'sh  sho  blame' 
shmart  she  eshcapesh  me  ever'  time,  an'," — >very 
impressively,—"  she  doeshn't  even  know  that  I'm 


63 


followin'  her.  I've  trailed  her  up  hill  an'  down 
dale,"  he  almost  sobbed,  "  but  still  she  eshcapes 
me." 

There  was  absolutely  no  use  attempting  to  argue 
with  him  in  his  condition,  so  I  asked  as  patiently  as 
possible,  "  But  if  you  say  that  she  has  eluded  you, 
and  that  you  have  been  following  her  she  must  still 
be  in  Newport." 

"  Thash  right,  she  mus*  be  in  N'port  ash  you 
shay,"  he  replied,  as  though  I  had  made  an  illuminat 
ing  discovery. 

"  When  and  where  did  you  see  her  last?  " 

"  Lash  ?  Yes,  thas  right.  Lash  night.  Out  on 
Bellevue  Avenue  she  was,  ridin'  wither  shister  in  a 
shix  cylinder  car.  Too  dark  to  shee  number  or 
who  was  drivin' ;  mush  too  dark,  mush !  " 

This  statement  took  the  sting  out  of  my  own  like 
failure. 

"  Sheen  her  number  of  other  timesh  out  shame 
place  mornins  ridin'  like  the  devil  on  Cheshnut  mare, 
an'  she  nev'  shaw  me  at  all.  Mosh  complete  dish- 
guish,  wonderful,  wonderful.  Don't  know  where 
she  came  from,  don'  know  where  she  went,  rides 
like  the  devil,  sir,  faster  than  the  devil,  mush  faster. 
Too  fash  to  recognize  number  of  mare, —  or  make. 
Fifty  maresh  jus  like  it  in  N'port,  five  hundred,  fi' 
thoushand.  Like  huntin'  for  needle  in  hay  stack, 
tryin'  to  fin'  cheshnut  mare  in  N'port.  Can'  be 


64  MAN  PROPOSES 

done,"  and  here  his  voice  trailed  off  into  a  maud 
lin  wail,  "  Oh,  I'm  helofa  detective,  can't  fin'  chest 
nut  mare." 

I  thought  so,  too,  and,  thoroughly  disgusted,  got 
up  and  gave  him  a  vigorous  shake  and  fairly  bawled 
at  him,  "  What  in  thunder  are  you  talking  about  ? 
How  can  a  half  sick  woman  like  Mrs.  Willard  be 
riding  a  chestnut  horse  like  the  devil  around  New 
port?" 

He  gazed  at  me  with  a  hurt,  dreamy  expression 
for  a  moment,  waved  his  hand  slowly  but  elo 
quently,  and  murmured,  "  Shister,"  and  passed 
away. 

Angry  clean  through,  and  determined  to  give  him 
his  release  on  the  morrow,  I  left  him  as  he  was, 
snoring  heartily,  slammed  the  door  and  made  my 
way  downstairs  and  to  my  own  abode. 

Once  back  in  my  bedroom  and  soberly  going  over 
in  my  mind  the  confused  events  of  the  past  few 
hours,  I  found  my  wrath  cooling  somewhat.  I  de 
cided  not  to  take  any  hasty  action  in  regard  to  the 
detective.  Obviously  the  fact  that  he  was  employed 
by  a  leading  firm  in  su^h  a  delicate  matter  was 
pretty  fair  indication  that  he  possessed  real  ability, 
and,  after  all,  Newport  was  a  big  place,  the  Lee 
sisters  were  practically  unknown  except  to  the  Gil- 
mans  and  whoever  was  now  harboring  them,  and 
certainly  the  former  would  not  divulge  their  retreat 


I  MEET  A  DETECTIVE         65 

since  they  had  fled  to  them  for  sanctuary.  There 
were  probably  fewer  clews  to  run  down  scientifically 
than  would  have  been  left  by  a  real  criminal,  and 
the  discovery  of  their  refuge  would  come  eventually, 
and  almost  any  day,  by  chance.  Two  were  twice  as 
likely  to  run  upon  it  as  one. 

While  I  undressed,  my  imagination  conjured  up 
at  least  twenty  different  ways  in  which  I  might  meet 
the  object  of  my  quest,  varying  from  a  common 
place  introduction  by  a  mutual  acquaintance,  after 
I  had  learned  with  whom  she  was  staying  and  had 
won  my  way  into  their  particular  set,  through  vari 
ous  stages  of  increasing  absurdity  until  I  pictured 
myself  the  hero  of  a  dramatic  rescue  from  certain 
death  just  as  her  chestnut  horse  in  a  wild  runaway 
was  to  plunge  over  the  cliffs. 

So  active  was  my  brain  that,  when,  well  after  mid 
night,  I  finally  fell  asleep  the  same  theme  was  car 
ried  on  in  my  dreams. 

Now  I  was  carrying  off  the  prize  to  my  employer 
in  a  big  Packard  car,  madly  pursued  meanwhile  by 
a  huge  chestnut  mare  with  a  face  strangely  like  that 
of  the  detective.  Then  the  two  of  us  were  escaping 
together  in  the  automobile  while  Mr.  Willard  was 
following  us  on  the  same  horse ;  and  still  again  we 
had  mysteriously  changed  places  and  I  was  mounted 
upon  the  flying  steed  —  like  young  Lochinvar  — 
bearing  the  unhappy  bride  before  me  in  my  arms, 


66 MAN  PROPOSES 

closely  pursued  by  the  irate  husband  in  the  motor 
car. 

I  seemed  to  hear  the  clatter  of  our  horse's  hoofs 
on  the  pavement  and  see  about  me  the  bright  radi 
ance  from  the  car's  headlights.  An  irresistible  de 
sire  to  look  around  and  see  how  close  it  was  upon 
us  seized  possession  of  me.  At  last  I  yielded  to 
that  awful  fascination.  As  I  turned  my  head  the 
piercing,  dazzling  ray  flashed  straight  into  my  eyes, 
blinding  me.  I  reeled  in  the  saddle,  my  charge 
slipped  from  my  arms.  I  saw  her  fall  down,  down, 
down  into  infinite  space.  With  a  scream  of  terror  I 
awoke,  the  cold  perspiration  starting  all  over  me. 

The  blinding  morning  sunlight  was  streaming  full 
into  my  face,  I  lay  half  out  of  bed  and  my  pillow  was 
on  the  floor.  From  beneath  my  window  came  the 
rattle  of  an  early  milkman's  cans. 

Here,  then,  were  my  automobile  lights,  steed,  elop 
ing  bride  and  thundering  hoofs. 


CHAPTER  VI 

IN   WHICH    FATE   SUPPLIES   ME   WITH   A   FRIEND 

THE  glorious  dawning  of  my  first  day  in  New 
port  seemed  to  me  to  furnish  a  bright  augury  for 
the  success  of  the  mission  which  brought  me  there, 
and,  despite  the  earliness  of  the  hour,  I  jumped  out 
of  bed  and  dressed  quickly,  eager  to  start  about  its 
accomplishment. 

Save  the  servants,  no  one  was  stirring  in  the 
house.  I  stopped  for  a  moment  in  the  writing-room 
to  make  out  my  entry  for  the  coming  tournament 
to  be  posted  at  the  first  mail  box,  and  then  going 
out  into  the  invigorating  morning,  strode  off  down 
Bellevue  Avenue  taking  deep  breaths  of  the  fresh 
clean  air,  for  the  atmosphere  of  a  city,  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me,  is  never  really  clean  except  in  the  very 
early  morning  hours,  or  when  it  has  been  thoroughly 
washed  by  a  good  rain. 

With  quick  strides  I  followed  my  course-  of  the 
previous  evening,  but  with  my  thoughts  as  differ 
ent  from  those  dark  ugly  ones  which  had  then  af 
flicted  me,  as  white  is  from  black.  Who  could  be 

moody  or  distrait  on  such  a  morning?     It  was  not 

07, 


68 MAN  PROPOSES 

a  day  in  June,  but  it  was  a  rare  one,  and  whether  I 
looked  or  listened  I  could  "  hear  earth  murmur  or 
see  it  glisten." 

On  my  way  down  the  Avenue  I  had  provided  my 
self  with  a  temporary  check  against  the  pangs  of 
starvation,  in  the  shape  of  a  little  fruit  purchased  at 
one  of  those  attractive  shops,  but  by  the  time  I  had 
passed  the  polo  field  and  was  almost  out  to  Rough 
Point  my  internal  anatomy  was  sending  out -pre 
liminary  warnings  that  it  was  past  my  usual  break 
fast  hour. 

I  was  just  on  the  point  of  regretfully  turning 
back  when  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  galloping  horse  be 
hind  me,  and,  looking  around,  beheld  a  big  chest 
nut  horse  thundering  down  the  avenue,  expertly 
ridden  by  what  I  at  first  thought  was  a  boy.  But 
no,  it  was  a  young  woman  clad  in  a  close-fitting  and 
becoming  riding  habit,  breeches  and  black  leather 
puttees.  From  her  head  floated,  banner-like,  a 
gauzy  white  veil. 

I  needed  no  second  glance,  and  no  detective  to  tell 
me  that  here  was  the  object  of  my  search  again, — 
or,  at  least,  her  sister,  as  the  sleuth's  final  remark 
had  suggested  —  but  the  flying  steed  carried  its 
rider  by  me  so  fast  that  I  could  not  satisfy  myself 
on  that  question. 

The  pair  swung  around  the  right  angle  turn  into 
Ocean  Avenue  and  disappeared  from  sight,  and,  al- 


FATE  SUPPLIES  A  FRIEND       69 

though  I  broke  into  a  sprint,  when  I  reached  the 
turn  there  was  nothing  in  sight  except  a  lonesome 
cab  jogging  its  way  toward  its  daily  stand  by  Touro 
Park. 

I  now  knew  as  much  of  the  elusive  Miss  Lee  as 
the  detective  could  tell  me,  and  my  curiosity  to 
know  more  was  mounting  momentarily. 

Three  hours  later  found  me  at  the  Casino  again, 
greeting  that  king  of  groundsmen,  "  Tom  "  Petit, 
and  other  acquaintances  of  former  years  among  his 
younger  assistants,  and  in  their  company  treading 
the  perfect  surface  of  the  championship  court  with 
words  of  appreciation  and  praise  for  its  condition, 
and  wondering  if  I  should  ever  tread  it  in  a  contest. 
What  a  marvelous  combination  of  nature's  aid  and 
man's  art  the  greensward  of  a  perfect  tennis  court 
is,  after  all,  smooth  and  even  as  a  billiard  table  and 
as  green,  soft  and  resilient  as  velvet  above  but  firm 
as  a  rock  beneath,  its  geometric  pattern  laid  out  in 
snow  white  lines.  What  an  ideal  setting  for  this 
greatest  of  games. 

As  we  walked  back  to  the  locker  building  I  had 
a  brief  opportunity  to  speak  a  word  in  private  to 
Mr.  Petit,  whom  I  had  known  not  only  at  Newport 
but  in  the  Tennis  and  Racquet  Club  in  Boston 
where  he  ruled  supreme  during  the  winter  months 
I  confided  to  him  that- 1  had  run  across  a  gold  mine 
and  would  not  be  adverse  to  adding,  this  vacation, 


70 MAN  PROPOSES 

to  the  tennis  a  little  more  social  diversion  than  in  the 
past,  and  named  over  several  men,  all  shareholders 
in  the  Casino  and  who  played  their  tennis  there,  to 
whom  a  kind  friend  had  given  me  letters  of  intro 
duction. 

I  had  laid  my  plans  well,  for  he  was  the  one  man 
who  knew  everybody,  and  he  gained  my  everlast 
ing  gratitude  by  promising,  in  his  hearty  way,  that 
he  would  see  to  it  that  I  met  them  and  had  my; 
"  day  in  court." 

We  had  just  reached  the  veranda  and  were  stand 
ing  looking  over  the  row  of  "  second  best "  courts 
toward  the  orchestra  pavilion  when  I  heard  a  voice 
behind  me  saying,  "  Hello,  John  Alden  Shaw,  down 
for  tennis  week  ?  " 

I  almost  jumped,  so  startled  was  I  by  the  similarity 
of  the  question  to  that  which,  the  night  before, 
had  started  my  train  of  ugly  thoughts.  Turning 
quickly,  I  looked  into  the  eyes  and  saw  the  out 
stretched  hand  of  a  fellow  tennis  team-mate  at  Har 
vard,  Dick  Witherbee,  a  prince  of  good  fellows  and 
idolized  son  of  a  Newport  millionaire. 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  real  heartiness  of  his 
greeting  however,  as  he  clapped  me  on  the  shoulder, 
and  he  immediately  proceeded  to  present  me  to  his 
two  companions  who  had  just  emerged  from  the  in 
door  court  where  the  youthful  world's  champion 
had  been  practicing. 


FATE  SUPPLIES  A  FRIEND       71 

"  John,  shake  hands  with  Will  Hammond  and 
Ned  Manners,  both  members  of  this  club.  Girls, 
meet  John  Alden  Shaw,  of  Bosting,  the  man  who 
made  Hen  Longfellow  famous.  You  should  know 
that  John,  here,  had  the  honor  of  being  a  class-mate 
of  mine  at  dear  old  Harvard,  where  he  was  famous 
for  being  the  worst  tennis  player  who  ever  got  a 
place  on  the  team,  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale."  He 
ran  on  gayly  while  we  shook  hands,  "  It  happened 
like  this.  Jack  Swift  —  you  know  Jack?  —  was 
captain  of  the  tennis  team  and  leader  of  the  glee  club 
as  welX,  our  sophomore  year.  This  John  tried  for  a 
place  on  both  the  same  day,  and  the  ordeal  of  seeing 
and  listening  to  him  perform  twice  within  a  few 
short  hours  was  too  much  for  Jack.  That  evening, 
to  steady  his  horribly  shaken  nerves  he  took  a  little 
something,  then  another,  and  in  fact  several  other 
somethings.  About  midnight  he  blew  into  my  room 
and  confided  to  me  with  great  sobs  that  as  a  tennis 
player  John  Alden  Shaw  was  the  very  best  little 
singer  he  had  ever  seen,  and  vice  versa.  The  long 
.nd  short  of  it  was  that  the  idea  became  so  firmly 
fixed  in  his  mind  that  he  straightway  seized  a  sheet 
of  glee  club  paper  and  wrote  Shaw  that  he  had  made 
the  tennis  team,  and  notified  him  that  he  had  been 
retained  for  further  trial  in  the  glee  club,  on  some 
tennis  team  stationery." 
A  good-natured  laugh  at  my  expense  followed  this 


72 MAN  PROPOSES 

absurd  tale,  and  the  atmosphere  of  good-fellowship 
which  was  immediately  established  emboldened  me 
to  say  to  Mr.  Hammond,  whom  I  recognized  as  a 
leader  in  Newport's  sport  loving  set,  "  Dick's  refer 
ence  to  my  ability  as  a  tennis  player  has  dealt  a  mor 
tal  blow  to  my  pride,  but  since  I  used  to  play  num 
ber  two  and  he  number  four  on  the  team  you  can 
imagine  how  good  he  was,  and,  by  the  way,  Mr. 
Hammond,  George  Wing,  whom  you  know,  and 
with  whom  I  have  played  frequently  at  Longwood, 
was  kind  enough  to  give  me  this  note  to  you,  when 
he  heard  that  I  was  coming  down  for  the  tourna 
ment,"  and  I  handed  him  one  of  the  letters  which  I 
had  in  my  pocket  in  readiness  for  just  such  an 
emergency. 

My  heart  was  warmed  by  his  quick  and  gratifying 
response  of,  "  That's  fine,  Shaw.  You  may  count 
on  me  to  furnish  you  with  the  keys  of  the  city  if 
you  are  all  George  has  said  about  you.  Now,  I've 
got  an  idea — " 

"  Good  heavens,  how  did  that  happen  ?  "  inter 
rupted  Manners,  jocosely  but  half  sneering. 

"  Why  don't  you  make  your  headquarters  at  my 
shack  while  you're  here?  My  better  half's  away 
and  I'm  keeping  bachelor  hall,  and  I  tell  you,  it's 
lonesome  business.  That's  the  very  thing,  and  I 
won't  take  no  for  an  answer,  so  don't  try  to  pro 
test.  Where  are  you  hanging  out?  Meunchinger- 


King?  All  right,  I'll  send  my  man  there  for  your 
duds  this  afternoon." 

My  faint  protestations  were  swept  aside  like  chaff 
by  his  breezy  insistence,  and,  before  I  knew  it,  I  had 
assented,  and  thus,  less  than  twenty-four  hours  after 
my  arrival  in  Newport,  I  saw  the  brazen  gates  swing 
open  for  me.  Truly  the  good  augury  of  the  morn 
ing  was  being  speedily  fulfilled,  and  the  Fates  were 
smiling  upon  my  mission. 

"  Now  isn't  that  just  like  Will  Hammond,"  broke 
in  Dick  in  real  or  feigned  disgust.  "  Next  to  Teddy 
Roosevelt  he's  the  darndest  man  for  butting  in  and 
running  things  to  suit  himself  that  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  Why,  they  say  that  he  is  positively 
afraid  to  go  to  church  lest  an  irresistible  impulse 
force  him  to  mount  the  pulpit  and  preach  the  ser 
mon.  If  he  ever  did  that,  I  bet  I  know  just  what 
his  text  would  be,  and  it's  the  only  quotation  from 
the  Good  Book  that  I  know,  too  — '  Take  a  little 
wine  for  thy  stomach's  sake  and  for  thine  often  in 
firmities.'  That's  your  motto,  isn't  it,  Ned?"  he 
added,  addressing  Mr.  Manners,  and  I  judged  from 
the  flushed,  'though  handsome  countenance,  and 
puffy  eyes  of  the  third  member  of  our  group,  that 
he  somewhat  frequently  indulged  in  that  ancient 
remedy. 

Without  expecting  or  waiting  for  a  reply,  Dick 
rambled  on  merrily,  "  I  wanted  John  myself,  but  I 


74 MAN  PROPOSES 

suppose  there's  no  use  trying  to  buck  up  against  the 
irrepressible  Hammond.  Why,  when  he's  at  a  wed 
ding  he  wants  to  be  the  bride,  and  the  corpse  at  a 
funeral." 

"  Oh,  cut  it,  Witherbee,"  broke  in  Manners  again, 
wearily.  "  That  chestnut  has  been  told  about  Roose 
velt  so  many  years  that  it's  old  enough  to  vote." 
Something  in  his  way  of  speaking  and  the  tone  of 
his  voice  caused  me  to  take  an  instant  subconscious 
dislike  to  him,  as  I  had  been  instantly  attracted  to 
Mr.  Hammond. 

Dick,  however,  proved  to  be  irrepressible  and  tak 
ing  no  notice  of  Manners,  continued,  "  How's  the 
old  arm,  John,  hitting  'em  any  this  year  ?  " 

I  was  about  to  commit  myself  when  Mr.  Ham 
mond  said,  "  Don't  bother  to  answer.  I've  got  an 
other  idea,  and  two  in  one  day  is  a  record.  Come 
up  to  the  office,  till  I  put  you  up  here  at  the  Casino 
as  my  guest  until  the  tournament  starts,  when  you'll 
have  the  privileges  anyway,  then  I  will  send  you 
down  to  the  Meunchinger-King  and  you  can  get  into 
your  tennis  flannels  and  we'll  try  you  out  in  a  set  of 
doubles.  Seeing's  believing,  you  know." 

This  proposition  met  with  my  approval,  although 
I  felt  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  make  the  stereotyped 
remark,  "  But  you  mustn't  expect  too  much  of  me 
to-day.  I've  had  little  chance  to  practice  this  sum 
mer,  and  none  at  all  on  grass  to  date." 


FATE  SUPPLIES  A  FRIEND       75 

"  That's  what  they  all  say,"  replied  Manners,  who, 
apparently,  had  a  thoroughgoing  grouch  on  this 
morning. 

Mr.  Hammond  executed  as  well  as  he  planned; 
the  morning  was  passed  according  to  schedule,  and 
two  o'clock  found  us  seated  on  the  veranda  restau 
rant  at  Guntha's  looking  down  upon  the  scene  of 
our  recent  defeat,  for  Dick  and  Manners  had  taken 
three  straight  sets  from  my  partner  and  me  —  which 
\vas  scarcely  a  cause  for  wonder  considering  the 
fact  that  I  was  out  of  practice,  and  Mr.  Hammond 
played  merely  for  fun  and  exercise  and  was  cor 
respondingly  erratic,  whereas  Manners  a  few  years 
previous,  had  been  ranked  among  the  magic  "  first 
ten  "  players  and  might  perhaps  have  been  numbered 
there  still  had  he  been  willing  to  train  faithfully. 
As  it  was,  each  year's  rating  found  him  well  up  on 
the  list. 

As  I  might  have  expected,  my  partner  proved  to 
be  a  good  loser,  and  I  trust  that  I  gave  a  similar  im 
pression.  Furthermore,  he  insisted  upon  assuming 
my  proportion  of  the  cost  of  the  luncheon  which  was 
the  stake  for  our  little  sporting  match. 

Former  years  had  made  me  sufficiently  familiar 
with  Newport  customs  not  to  be  surprised  when 
Dick  ordered  highballs  for  four  as  soon  as  we  had 
reached  the  locker  building  after  our  game,  but  as 
I  was  not  accustomed  to  drinking  at  mid-day  I 


70 MAX  PROPOSES 

passed  when  cocktails : — several  of  them  —  were 
called  for  at  luncheon. 

Not  so  the  others  however  and,  as  always,  the 
drink  brought  out  more  sharply  the  natures  of  the 
three.  Mr.  Hammond  became  more  and  more  mel 
low  and  friendly,  Dick  ever  more  hilarious  and  silly, 
and  Manners  glummer  and  more  sarcastic. 

"  Name  your  sustenance,"  said  Mr.  Hammond, 
and,  after  due  consideration  of  the  menu,  we  se 
lected  ragout  of  lamb,  grilled  bones  and  rabbit  stew. 

"  Waiter,"  called  Dick  in  clarion  tones,  and  when 
that  dignitary  approached,  beckoned  confidentially 
to  him  to  lean  down,  and  then  shouted  in  his  ear, 

"  You  may  bring  us  '  a  rag,  and  a  bone  and  a  hank 
of  hair.'  " 

"  I  beg  you  pardon,  sir,"  was  the  bewildered 
response. 

"  What  for?  You  haven't  spilled  anything  yet," 
and  so,  throughout  the  meal  Dick's  persiflage  ran  on 
like  Tennyson's  "  Brook  "  until  I,  at  least,  the  only 
abstemious  member  of  the  party,  was  thoroughly 
tired  of  his  inane  nonsense. 

We  took  our  time  over  the  repast,  and  I  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  for  studying  the  characters 
of  my  three  table  companions  as  we  ate  and  smoked. 

Dick  I  knew  of  old,  and  I  found  him  little 
changed  —  the  same  irresponsible,  light-hearted  boy 
of  ten  years  before  —  but  the  other  two  represented 


FATE  SUPPLIES  A  FRIEND       77 

types  new  to  me  as  far  as  intimate  acquaintance 
went. 

Both  were  good-looking,  well-groomed  men  of 
the  world,  well  along  in  the  thirties,  polished  in  man 
ner,  highly  educated, —  at  least  along  the  lines  of 
the  typical  American  of  wealth  and  assured  social 
position, —  as  alike  as  two  peas  as  far  as  externals 
went. 

But  the  resemblance  ceased  with  that. 

My  host-to-be  was  beaming  with  good  nature  and 
kindliness,  in  every  sense  a  good  sport.  With  Man 
ners  there  was  a  subtle  difference.  It  would  be 
absurd  to  say  that  he  was  a  typical  villain  in  the 
play  muttering  "  curses  "  at  every  other  line,  but  he 
gave  the  impression  of  having  a  cold,  calculating 
nature  and  an  inherent  tendency  to  sarcasm.  In 
deed  the  more  I  saw  of  him  the  less  I  liked  him,  and 
I  could  not  force  myself  to  make  any  advances  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  discretion  told  me  that  I  ought 
to  do  everything  in  my  power  to  strengthen  this 
chance  acquaintance  into  at  least  an  outward  form 
of  friendship  (if  there  can  be  any  such  thing), 
for  who  could  tell  but  that  he  might  be  the  one  man 
who  held  the  key  to  the  position  I  was  planning  to 
storm  ? 

Some  people  cause  an  instinctive  dislike  in  others 
just  as  cats  or  snakes  do.  Manners  affected  me  in 
this  manner,  and  it  was  all  that  I  could  do  not  to  be 


78 MAN  PROPOSES 

positively  rude  to  him  despite  the  dictates  of  wis 
dom,  and  he  made  no  effort  to  be  courteous. 

During  the  course  of  our  desultory  conversation 
I  tried  several  times  to  introduce  casual  remarks 
which  might  lead  it  around  to  the  subject  which  was 
uppermost  in  my  mind  —  the  whereabouts  of  the 
Lee  girls  —  but  my  bait  caught  no  fish,  and  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  my  present  companions  were 
not  acquainted  with  them. 

Still,  I  could  not  but  feel  that  the  morning  had 
meant  a  long  step  forward  in  the  accomplishment 
of  my  scheme,  and  I  experienced  a  deep  satisfaction 
over  the  way  things  were  going. 

At  last  the  meal  was  ended  and  our  simple  repast 
together  with  the  tip,  spoiled  a  twenty-dollar  bill. 

As  we  rose  to  depart  I  noticed  that  the  sky  had  be 
come  suddenly  overcast,  and,  during  our  ride  to  my 
new  domicile,  it  began  to  sprinkle  gently. 


CHAPTER  VII 

IN    WHICH    I    MAKE   AN    INTERESTING   DISCOVERY 

IT  may  rain  as  hard  in  other  cities  of  the  East 
as  it  does  at  times  in  Newport,  but  I  doubt  it. 

A  few  years  ago,  at  least,  it  seemed  as  though 
J.  Pluvius  invariably  selected  the  month  of  August, 
with  its  tennis  and  horse  show  weeks,  for  his  an 
nual  visit  to  this  famous  summer  resort,  and,  despite 
his  unpopularity,  stayed  with  all  the  usual  persist 
ence  of  the  unwelcome  guest. 

It  happened  that  the  gentle  shower  proved  to  be 
the  advance  guard  of  the  army  of  General  Humidity 
and  Major  Storm,  and  for  three  full  days  the  rains 
descended  and  the  floods  came,  the  only  periods  of 
intermission  in  the  steady  downpour  being  rilled  with 
unendurable  sultry  mists. 

The  streets  glistened  like  mirrors,  under  the  lash 
ing  of  wind  and  rain  the  trees  shed  their  leaves, 
and  within  the  Casino  grounds,  whither  I,  with 
others,  made  daily  journeys,  the  paths  were  turned 
into  brooklets  and  the  turf  courts  into  a  mo 
rass. 

Many  times  during  this  period  of  enforced  idle- 
79 


80 MAN  PROPOSES 

ness  I  should  verily  have  passed  away  from  ennui 
had  I  been  cooped  up  alone  in  the  Meunchinger- 
King,  and  I  thanked  my  lucky  stars  which  had  sent 
me  to  Mr.  Hammond's.  Not  only  was  mine  host  a 
prince  of  entertainers,  an  excellent  pianist  and  skill 
ful  billiard  player,  but  his  residence  had  a  well- 
stocked  library  and  the  time  passed  pleasantly,  al 
though  toward  the  end  I  began  to  grow  restive  and 
as  eager  as  a  hound  in  the  leash  to  take  up  the  trail. 

My  new  abiding  place  was  situated  to  the  right  of 
Bellevue  Avenue  (as  one  faces  the  cliffs),  on  a  cross 
street  running  out  toward  the  golf  course,  and  over 
looking  one  of  the  two  ponds.  It  was  an  artistic, 
rambling,  low,  silvery-shingled  mansion  like  a  glori 
fied  bungalow,  with  stables,  garage  and  tennis  court 
spreading  over  a  considerable  stretch  of  land. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  nearer  the  Avenue  was  the 
Manner  house  and  somewhat  further  in  the  other 
direction,  on  a  little  rise,  stood  a  handsome  colonial 
mansion  set  well  back  from  the  street,  which  was 
here  scarcely  more  than  a  dignified  country  road. 
This,  I  learned,  belonged  to  the  Aldriches,  a  family 
of  great  wealth,  but  of  the  older  school  of  New 
York  aristocrats,  therefore  quiet  and  seldom  mixing 
with  the  ultra  smart  set. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  my  stay 
with  Mr.  Hammond  he  received  a  telephone  invita 
tion  from  Manners  to  dine  that  evening  at  the  lat- 


AX  INTERESTING  DISCOVERY     81 

ter's  house  informally,  and  the  suggestion, —  be- 
grudgingly  made,  I  imagined, —  that  he  bring  me 
along.  At  first  I  suggested  to  my  host  that  he 
go  without  me,  but  he  seemed  so  much  in  earnest 
in  insisting  upon  my  accompanying  him,  saying  that 
it  was  merely  a  stag  affair  with  perhaps  cards  after 
dinner  and  that  I  would  have  a  splendid  opportunity 
of  meeting  some  of  the  other  neighbors,  that  I 
yielded. 

Thus  Fate  gave  the  wheel  another  turn,  and  at 
seven  that  evening  —  the  fifth  day  of  my  stay  in 
Newport  —  I  was  seated  at  table  with  a  dozen  of 
the  most  wealthy  business  and  society  men  of  New 
York  and  Newport,  and  the  first  step  in  my  scheme 
had  been  accomplished  as  easily  as  though  I  had 
been  possessed  of  the  magic  wishing  ring. 

To  the  others  of  that  gathered  assembly  the  meal 
which  followed  may,  indeed,  have  seemed  plain  and 
informal,  but  not  to  me. 

From  cocktails  to  cafe  noir  and  cigars  it  was  a 
perfectly  appointed  and  elaborate  dinner,  served  by 
a  stately  English  butler  and  two  assistants,  wrho  bore 
out  the  general  scheme  of  things  in  the  Manners' 
residence  —  the  family  consisted  of  Manners  and 
his  mother,  still  a  leader  in  society,  who  was  not 
present  —  which  was  inside  and  out  magnificent, 
but  too  modern  and  showy  to  suit  my  New  England 
tastes.  Hammond's  more  homelike  and  comfort- 


82 MAN  PROPOSES 

able  abode,  with  its  trim  maids,  fell  in  with  my 
fancies  far  better. 

All  that  savored  of  informality  during  the  meal, 
as  far  as  I  could  see,  was  the  fact  that  instead  of 
wine,  highballs  were  served,  the  guests  all  voting  in 
favor  of  them,  and  the  further  fact  that  the  stories 
were  many  of  them  hardly  fit  for  mixed  company, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  and  some  of  them,  indeed,  highly 
salacious.  After  one  particularly  suggestive  tale, 
I  remarked  to  Mr.  Hammond  in  an  undertone  that 
it  was  just  as  well  that  it  was  a  stag  affair  and  he 
promptly  called  over  to  the  raconteur,  "  Our  young 
Puritan  here,  thinks  that  that  last  joke  of  yours  had 
better  be  taken  out  in  the  back  yard  and  buried,  and 
blushes  to  think  how  he  would  feel  if  there  were 
ladies  present." 

A  general  laugh  followed,  during  which  I  blushed 
in  fact.  As  it  subsided,  the  man  addressed,  a 
fatherly  and  rather  ministerial  appearing  gentleman, 
replied  good-humoredly,  "  Then  for  the  sake  of  his 
Sir  Galahadean  ideals  I'm  glad  too,  for  that  very 
story  was  told  at  the  Bermans'  dinner  Saturday 
night  by  Mrs.  Becker-Tolman." 

Verily  the  society  in  which  I  had  shone  • —  accord 
ing  to  Mr.  Thomas  —  was  not  like  this,  and  in  my 
mind  the  present  one  did  not  gain  any  by  the  com 
parison. 

Dinner  finished,  we  adjourned  to  the  library,  and, 


83 


for  a  little  while,  I  wandered  about,  feeling  much 
like  a  fish  out  of  water,  for  those  generals  of  finance 
could  not,  it  seemed,  go  through  a  whole  evening 
without  "  talking  shop,"  and  I  must  admit  that  much 
of  their  conversation  was  Greek  to  me,  all  of  whose 
stocks  and  bonds  consisted  of  a  few  isolated  shares 
of  corporations  which  I  had  assisted  in  organizing, 
given  to  make  me  eligible  to  be  dummy  president 
for  a  day  or  two,  and  whose  most  important  invest 
ments  were  covered  by  a  small  subscription  to  my 
home  cooperative  bank. 

I  drifted  naturally  to  the  library  table,  and  began 
to  glance  casually  at  the  books  strewn  about  it, 
popular  best  sellers  most  of  them,  and,  thinking 
that  a  man's  taste  in  literature  is,  after  all,  a  pretty 
accurate  indicator  of  his  character,  was  just  about 
to  turn  away  again  when  my  eyes  fell  upon  one 
volume,  lying  open  back  up,  and  partly  hidden  by  a 
newspaper.  Without  thinking  particularly  I  read 
the  title,  "  The  Lee  Family  of  Virginia,"  and  my  at 
tention  was  instantly  riveted. 

It  is  strange  how  even  the  smallest  incidents  loom 
large  when  they  chime  in  with  and  receive  a  special 
significance  from  something  which  is  filling  all  one's 
thoughts. 

Covertly  glancing  about  and  seeing  that  no  one, 
especially  the  owner  of  the  house,  was  paying  any  at 
tention  to  me,  I  turned  the  volume  over.  It  was 


84 


opened  to  a  chapter  and  page  descriptive  of  the 
homestead  and  possessions  of  Colonel  William  Kent 
Lee,  of  Fairdale,  and  now  my  interest  was  vitally 
gripped  indeed,  for  this  same  Colonel  Lee  was  none 
other  than  the  late  father  of  Margaret  and  Marion, 
and  Fairdale  was  their  home  country-seat.  I  read 
a  few  words  which  had  to  do  with  the  more  recent 
additions  to  their  famous  estate,  and  then  turning 
to  the  front  of  the  book,  made  mental  note  of  the 
name  of  the  firm  of  publishers,  for  possible  future 
reference.  As  I  replaced  it  I  saw  that  it  had  been 
resting  upon  an  atlas,  and  that  from  between  the 
pages  of  this  protruded  a  little  marker  slip.  My 
curiosity  was  now  sufficiently  aroused  to  cause  me 
to  open  this  to  the  place  indicated,  and,  as  I  had 
more  than  half  anticipated,  the  plate  at  that  page 
showed  a  map  of  this  same  Fairdale  County. 
Moreover,  it  bore  certain  outlines  in  red  ink,  whose 
meaning,  however,  was  an  enigma  to  me. 

Just  at  this  stage  in  my  investigations  the  various 
small  groups  split  up  as  though  by  the  result  of 
telepathic  suggestion,  and  our  host  bade  us  find 
places  at  the  three  card  tables  which  had  been  set  up 
by  the  gliding  attendants. 

Fate  sent  me  to  one  of  them  with  two  new  ac 
quaintances,  and  the  others  being  quickly  filled  with 
the  full  quota  our  table  held  the  only  empty  seat. 
None  too  well  pleased,  it  seemed,  Manners  took  pos- 


AN  INTERESTING  DISCOVERY    85 

session  of  this,  and,  while  the  cards  were  being 
shuffled  the  silent-footed  servitors  made  the  rounds 
again,  leaving  at  each  table  four  tall  glasses,  a  de 
canter,  a  syphon  of  charged  water  and  ash  trays. 

All  these  arrangements,  and  the  business-like  way 
in  which  several  of  the  guests  threw  aside  their  din 
ner  jackets,  told  their  own  story.  I  was  in  for  an 
evening  of  it,  and  I  cut  for  deal  with  considerable 
inward  trepidation.  I  was  only  a  fair  card  player, 
and  my  mind  recalled  tales  which  I  had  heard  at  the 
Casino  of  the  exalted  stakes  these  men  sometimes 
played  for. 

My  fears  received  justification  a  moment  later  for 
Manners  remarked  in  an  off  hand  manner,  but  with 
a  side  glance  at  me  which  I  read  as  a  challenge, 
"Usual  stakes?" 

"  Uh,  huh,"  grunted  my  partner,  a  captain  of  in 
dustry  daytimes,  now  busily  engaged  in  masticating 
the  end  of  an  unlighted  dollar  cigar,  "  Dollar  a 
point." 

My  mind  did  a  quick  sum  in  mental  arithmetic. 
A  little  streak  of  bad  luck  and  we  might  easily  drop 
a  thousand  points,  and  any  schoolboy  knows  that  a 
thousand  times  one  dollar  is  a  thousand  dollars, 
which  represented  nearly  all  my  worldly  goods. 

Manners  broke  in  upon  my  train  of  thoughts, 
saying,  with  thinly  veiled  sarcasm,  "  Perhaps  that's 
a  little  out  of  Shaw's  line.  Half  a  cent  might  seem 


86 MAN  PROPOSES 

more  natural  —  that  is,  if  his  tender  conscience  per 
mits  him  to  gamble  at  all."  As  a  matter  of  fact  he 
had  hit  on  the  truth  in  both  particulars  for  I  next 
to  never  played  for  money,  and,  under  usual  con 
ditions,  half  a  cent  a  point  would  have  looked  large. 
But  his  manner  affected  me  as  a  red  rag  does  a  bull, 
and,  moreover,  I  recalled  Mr.  Willard's  parting  in 
junction  about  the  necessity  of  spending  freely  in 
order  to  win  my  way  into  the  society  where  I  ex 
pected  to  find  the  truant  bride.  The  opening  wedge 
had  already  been  driven  in,  but  I  must  not  allow  it  to 
become  blunted  now,  I  thought. 

With  as  much  nonchalance  as  I  could  muster  I 
replied,  "  Suits  me.  But,  with  your  permission,  I 
am  going  to  ask  to  be  allowed  to  quit  at  midnight, 
in  case  you  have  not  finished  before  that.  You  see, 
I'm  supposed  to  be  in  strict  training  for  the  '  all 
comers  '  next  week,  and  fond  papa  didn't  send  me 
down  here  to  sit  up  into  the  small  wee  hours  play 
ing  cards  by  way  of  preparation," — which  was 
strictly  true,  he  had  not.  It  was  a  rather  feeble  at 
tempt  to  restrict  my  possible  losses  but  the  best  I 
could  think  of  on  the  moment. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  broke  in  my  vis-a-vis. 
"  Want  to  knock  off  early  myself  to-night,  for  I'm 
dog  tired.  Had  to  go  to  the  city  this  morning,  and 
slave  like  a  coal  heaver  in  the  awful  heat  putting 
through  a  little  two  for  a  cent  deal.  We  idle  rich 


AN  INTERESTING  DISCOVERY     87 

are  such  lucky  cusses,  you  know.  By  the  way,  Man 
ners,"  he  added  as  he  dealt,  "  how's  that  deal  of 
yours  for  the  Virginia  woodland  progressing?" 

I  pricked  up  my  ears  with  interest. 

"  Rotten,"  was  the  frank  reply.  "  The  corpora 
tion  got  control  of  one  of  the  prettiest  bits  of  hard 
wood  land  south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line  prac 
tically  for  a  song  and  then  ran  plumb  up  against  a 
snag.  It's  like  this."  He  took  out  a  silver  pencil 
and  hastily  sketched  a  rough  map  on  an  ace  of  dia 
monds.  One  glance  told  me  that  it  corresponded 
with  the  one  of  Fairdale  County  in  the  atlas. 
"  Here's  our  present  holdings.  This  little  strip  al 
most  cuts  it  in  two,  you  see,  and  separates  the  west 
section  from  this  stream.  It's  almost  absolutely  es 
sential  to  us  in  order  to  cut  and  get  the  stuff  out  with 
facility.  Old  Colonel  Lee  evidently  smelt  a  rat  and 
bought  it  up  to  protect  his  property,  just  before  he 
died  three  years  ago.  Their  house  is  just  about 
here,  right  on  the  edge  of  it,  you  see.  The  whole 
shooting  match  went,  on  his  death,  to  his  only  son 
and  we  had  him  on  the  run  and  just  about  to  fall  for 
our  proposition,  when  he  had  the  damn  bad  taste  to 
drink  himself  to  death.  Now,  it's  all  off  again,  for 
the  two  girls  who  own  it  won't  listen  to  selling  it, 
'  No,  sah,  not  a  single  foot  of  our  f am'ly  possessions, 
sah.'  Damn  these  sentimental  females,  with  their 
highfaluting,  Southern  ideas  of  family  honor  and 


88 MAX  PROPOSES 

such  trash.  We're  ready  to  pay  'em  a  big  figure, 
but,  unfortunately,  they've  got  money  to  burn 
themselves,  and  a  little  more's  no  object  to 
them." 

His  tale  of  woe  was  greeted  with  gibes  and 
laughter,  for  a  successful  man  of  business  always 
enjoys  seeing  another  caught,  especially  by  one  of 
the  weaker  sex,  but  their  merriment  goaded  him 
into  bursting  out,  "  Oh,  well,  we're  not  done  yet. 
We've  had  a  shyster  lawyer  or  two  on  the  ground 
for  several  weeks  and  they've  got  an  idea  that 
there's  some  sort  of  a  flaw  in  the  title  to  this  very 
strip,  and  are  chasing  up  the  heirs  of  the  grantor 
now.  If  they're  right,  we'll  buy  the  whole  outfit  for 
a  plugged  nickel  and  the  girls  can  whistle  for  their 
*  fam'ly  possessions,  sah.' ' 

"  So  you  think  you  have  the  ladies  on  the  hip, 
eh  ?  Shame  on  you,  Shylock,"  laughed  my  partner. 

"  Why,  you  know  who  they  are,  at  least  by  repu 
tation,  Knowlton,  one  of  them  married  your  friend," 
—  this  spoken  in  sarcasm — "Roland  Willard,  of 
Boston,  a  while  ago,  and  I'll  bet  a  house  and  lot  that 
he's  behind  the  whole  thing."  Manners  stopped  sud 
denly.  He  had  drunk  heavily  before  and  during 
dinner,  his  tongue  had  become  loosened  and  he  had 
blurted  out  this  whole  story  with  never  a  thought, 
apparently,  that  there  was  a  stranger,  and  a  Bos- 
tonian  at  that,  present.  Now,  quite  naturally,  the 


AX  INTERESTING  DISCOVERY    91 

sudden   puperimposed,  so,  with  a  sigh  of  regret,  I 

brought  hand  down,  saying,  "  Gentlemen,  the  fatal 

shot  a  gl  struck  for  me,  and,  in  accordance  with  my 

terrogatin:se,  I  must  get  me  gone  to  my  little  white 

my  facial 

dently  appefle,"  said  my  partner,  "  you  are  not  go- 

for  he  lookeight  in  the  middle  of  a  hand." 

ject  to  a  safed  I  went  on  in  a  half  jesting  tone. 

A  moment  e  if  I  didn't  keep  faith  with  myself, 
played  auction,  hate  to  pin  medals  on  my  own  per- 
at  the  table  waishow  what  a  really  wonderful  will 
All  of  them  had  .ot  the  best  hand  yet." 
and  now  frequentl;ce,"  laughed  Manners  disagree- 
their  elbows  as  they  pressing  the  others:  "  Trust  a 
abstemious  and  comp  to  take  advantage  of  a  tech- 
and  only  this  fact  enabiwell  to  stop  when  you're 
as  I  have  said,  I  was  morhaw*  knows  that  that  last 
to  be  compared  with  any  01" 
skill.  TS,  and  my  temper 

But,  unfortunately,  as  time  wenc  clear  and  cool 
became  more  enthralling  and  the  roon  vhich  some- 
hotter  —  no  breeze  having  sprung  up  the.  king  and 
to  dispel  the  torrid  humidity  —  I,  too,  uncon  critical 
began  to  have  somewhat  frequent  recourse  k  \Mr. 
highball  glass  beside  me  —  constantly  replenished  t, 
a  watchful  servant  —  in  which  the  ice  tinkled  invit 
ingly.  How  easy  and  natural  it  is  to  pick  up  a 
cooling  glass  almost  without  thinking,  and  take  a 


88 MAN  PROPOSES 

such  trash.     We're  ready  to  pay  'em  a  bbmething 
but,    unfortunately,    they've    got    money 
themselves,    and    a    little    more's    no    cers  in  the 
them."  le  was  be- 

His  tale  of  woe  was  greeted  with  ie  in  name 
laughter,  for  a  successful  man  of  busivas  given  or 
enjoys  seeing  another  caught,  especialli  once  when 
the  weaker  sex,  but  their  merriment  nd  me  three 
into  bursting  out,  "  Oh,  well,  we're 
We've  had  a  shyster  lawyer  or  twoour  hands  were 
for  several  weeks  and  they've  gfirted  with  each 
there's  some  sort  of  a  flaw  in  th&  kept  almost  even 
strip,  and  are  chasing  up  the  listen  my  earlier  re- 
now.  If  they're  right,  we'll  bu-  it  until,  like  poor 
a  plugged  nickel  and  the  girlfolling  out  the  hour  set 
'  fam'ly  possessions,  sah.' ' 

"  So  you  think  you  h%  certain  in  my  own  mind 
eh  ?  Shame  on  you,  SVj  played  in  the  melodrama 

"  Why,  you  knoy  that  of  a  hero  or,  like  Dogberry 
tation,  Knowlts  About  Nothing,"  I  should  be  writ- 
—  this  spoh  ass. 

Boston,  al  had  just  been  dealt  out,  and  I  had  corn- 
he's  besorting  it  with  the  thrill  that  comes  to  a  card 
denll  upon  viewing  an  unusual  hand,  namely  eight 
perfect  clubs ;  queen  and  two  other  spades,  king  and 
queen  of  diamonds,  and — no  hearts,  when  midnight 
struck.  An  appeal  to  my  own  trusted  timepiece 
helped  not  at  all.  Its  hands  were  also  perpendicu- 


AN  INTERESTING  DISCOVERY    91 

lar  and  superimposed,  so,  with  a  sigh  of  regret,  I 
laid  the  hand  down,  saying,  "  Gentlemen,  the  fatal 
hour  has  struck  for  me,  and,  in  accordance  with  my 
self -promise,  I  must  get  me  gone  to  my  little  white 
bed." 

"  Oh,  piffle,"  said  my  partner,  "  you  are  not  go 
ing  to  quit  right  in  the  middle  of  a  hand." 

"  Yes,"  and  I  went  on  in  a  half  jesting  tone. 
"  I'd  lose  caste  if  I  didn't  keep  faith  with  myself, 
and  although  I  hate  to  pin  medals  on  my  own  per 
son,  I'll  say,  to  show  what  a  really  wonderful  will 
I  have,  that  I've  got  the  best  hand  yet." 

"  Huh,  fine  chance,"  laughed  Manners  disagree 
ably  and  added,  addressing  the  others :  "  Trust  a 
lawyer  to  know  when  to  take  advantage  of  a  tech 
nicality.  It's  always  well  to  stop  when  you're 
ahead,  and,  of  course,  Shaw*  knows  that  that  last 
rubber  put  him  in  the  lead." 

I  could  scarcely  believe  my  ears,  and  my  temper 
flared  up,  while  my  brain  became  as  clear  and  cool 
as  crystal  with  the  abnormal  calmness  which  some 
times  comes  to  a  man  who  has  been  drinking  and 
suddenly  finds  himself  face  to  face  with  a  critical 
situation.  "  Pardon  me  for  contradicting,  Mr. 
Manners,"  I  answered,  "but,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
I  was  under  the  impression  that  you  were  ahead. 
You  have  been  keeping  score.  I  haven't." 

"  What  the  devil  ?    Do  you  mean  to  insinuate, 


92 MAN  PROPOSES 

sir,  that  your  first  proposition  was  dependent  on  the 
second?  "  my  host  shot  back. 

"  Not  at  all.  I  merely  stated  two  independent 
and  uncorrelated  facts,  both  of  which  are  perfectly 
true,  whether  you  care  to  believe  it  or  not.  Further 
more,  Mr.  Manners,  you  made  an  insinuation  a  min 
ute  ago  that  I  didn't  like  the  sound  of,  even  as  a 
joke,  as  I  presume  it  was  meant.  I  refer  to  the  fact 
that  when  I  said  I  was  holding  the  best  hand  I'd 
had  this  evening,  you  replied  '  fat  chance '  or  '  fine 
chance,'  or  something  like  that.  It  didn't  sound 
good  to  me,  and,  if  you  think  that  I  was  bluffing 
and  are  still  inclined  to  doubt  my  statement,  I'll 
change  my  mind,  postpone  my  departure  just  long 
enough  to  play  this  hand  out  and  give  you  a  chance 
to  satisfy  yourself  on  both  points,  or  show  me  up. 
In  plain  English  it's  up  to  you  to  make  good  your  as 
sertions  or  retract  them,  Mr.  Manners." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

IN   WHICH   I   MAKE  AN   ENEMY 

Now  all  this  was,  of  course,  very  youthful,  very 
melodramatic. 

Yet  human  nature  is  much  the  same  in  all  ages 
and  the  world  over.  Men  have  quarreled  over  silly 
games,  called  hard  names,  passed  the  lie  like  chil 
dren,  and  are  we  not,  after  all,  but  children  of  an 
older  growth?  If  it  had  been  out  West  and  poker 
we  had  been  playing,  and,  instead  of  mild  highballs, 
we  had  been  drinking  our  whisky  straight,  by  this 
time  one  or  the  other  of  us,  or  both,  would  have  btfen 
punctured  with  bullet  holes. 

In  a  lower  strata  of  society  we  would  now  be  roll 
ing  over  the  floor  pummeling  each  other  energeti 
cally.  Being  in  Newport,  and  gentlemen,  we  merely 
glared  at  each  other  and  spoke  cutting,  sarcastic  sen 
tences,  which  was  highly  civilized,  but  worse,  in  a 
way,  than  either  of  the  other  methods  mentioned. 
The  saying  "  Sticks  and  stones  may  break  my  bones 
but  words  will  never  hurt  me,"  which  we  used  to 
chant  as  children,  is  far  from  the  truth.  It  is  per 
fectly  possible  for  men  to  express  their  primeval 

93 


94 MAN  PROPOSES 

passions  by  pounding  one  another  and  afterwards 
be  the  best  of  friends,  but  repressed  dislike  which 
finds  its  only  expression  in  bitter  words  strikes  in 
ward,  and  often  engenders  a  more  lasting  hatred 
than  any  physical  licking. 

In  our  heat  we  had  both  raised  our  voices  uncon 
sciously,  and  now  the  players  from  the  other  tables 
gathered  about  us  with  questions,  and,  scenting  some 
real  sport,  began  joyfully  to  egg  us  on. 

I  had  believed  that  Manners  was  wavering  and 
was  on  the  point  of  complying  with  my  request  that 
he  retract  his  insinuations,  but  the  presence  and  bait 
ing  of  the  others  overcame  his  better  judgment, 
and,  taking  another  hasty  glance  at  his  own  cards 
and  without  deigning  to  answer  my  remark  in 
words,  he  said,  "  All  right,  we  will  play  it  out.  It's 
your  bid,  Gramm." 

"  No  bid,"  responded  his  partner,  regarding  his 
hand  disgustedly. 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,"  broke  in  Mr.  Ham 
mond,  who  had  come  and  taken  his  stand  behind 
me.  "  You  two  are  a  little  excited  and  pretty  sure 
to  overbid  your  hands  in  consequence.  There's  no 
sense  pulling  your  partners  into  it.  I  suggest  that 
they  settle  on  the  basis  of  the  present  score." 

"  Great  little  head,  Hammond,"  promptly  an 
swered  my  partner.  "  Let  Manners  and  Shaw  bid 


IN    OUR    HEAT    WE    HAD    BOTH    RAISED    OUR    VOICES    UN 
CONSCIOUSLY  " 


I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY  95 

their  blocks  off  if  they  want  to.  I'm  the  provider 
for  a  large  and  hungry  family — " 

"  Alas,  poor  man  struggling  to  make  both  ends 
meet  on  an  income  of  a  paltry  half  million  a  year, 
and  support  in  penury  one  blond  wife  and  two  blond 
babies,"  interpolated  Hammond. 

"  Yes,"  said  Gramm,  "  but  think  of  the  terrible 
cost  of  keeping  that  wife  a  blond  twelve  months  in 
the  year."  But  the  object  of  these  gibes  continued 
unmoved,  " — and  I  don't  intend  to  be  offered 
up  a  sacrificial  lamb  on  the  altar  of  the  Gods  of 
Chance  because  of  the  whim  of  these  mad  game 
sters." 

"  Righto,  I  agree,"  said  Gramm,  "  you  owe  me 
to  date  the  magnificent  sum  of  twenty-seven  dollars, 
the  receipt  whereof  I  will  be  pleased  to  acknowledge 
with  thanks." 

Mr.  Hammond  picked  up  the  score  and  after  look 
ing  it  through,  said,  "  You're  games  all.  Are  you 
going  to  count  the  rubber  also  if  either  of  you 
scores  another  on  this  hand?" 

"  Just  as  Mr.  Manners  desires,"  I  replied,  deter 
mined  to  go  the  limit  now. 

My  patron  gave  my  shoulder  an  approving 
squeeze,  and  bending  over  whispered  in  my  ear, 
"  That's  the  way,  boy.  I'm  your  banker  if  you 
lose  and  get  in  over  your  head." 

I  nodded  my  thanks,  and  Manners  now  thor- 


96 MAN  PROPOSES 

oughly  aroused,  replied,  "  Let's  go  the  limit  by  all 
means;  I  guess  that  I  can  stand  it  if  he  can." 

I  thought  so,  too,  when  I  remembered  with  a 
sickening  sinking  in  the  pit  of  my  stomach  that  my 
bank  account  stood  at  little  more  than  the  thousand 
dollars,  with  which  Willard  had  supplied  me,  and 
which  was  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  trust  fund. 

"  Well,  it's  your  bid ;  Gramm  passed,"  said 
Manners  testily. 

Discretion  told  me  to  bid  on  my  wonderful  club 
suit,  but  I  threw  it  to  the  winds,  and,  taking  a 
gambler's  chance  on  the  hearts,  replied, 

"  Without  trumps." 

"  Two  royals,"  said  he,  being  seated  at  my  left. 
My  partner  passed,  as  did  Gramm,  and  the  battle 
was  obviously  between  us  two. 

"Two  without." 

"  Three  royals." 

"  Three  without." 

He  ran  over  his  cards  again  nervously,  then  said, 
"  Double  it." 

"  Re-double."  Those  who  were  behind  him 
whistled.  Manners  led  the  ace  of  spades.  My 
partner's  hand  was  laid  down  and  proved  to  be 
negligible  and  Manners  smiled,  but  I  was  not  yet 
worried,  for,  my  queen  being  twice  guarded,  his 
spade  suit  was  blocked,  as  he  realized  when  he  led 
the  king  and  the  queen  did  not  fall.  Had  he  known 


I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY  97 

my  lack  of  hearts  he  could  easily  have  won,  since 
he  held  both  red  aces,  but  his  natural  play  was  to 
lead  another  spade  in  order  to  force  the  queen  and 
establish  his  suit,  holding  his  aces  for  re-entry. 
This  he  proceeded  to  do.  Taking  the  trick  with 
my  queen,  I  quietly  played  out  my  eight  winning 
clubs,  leaving  him  to  take  the  last  two  tricks  with 
his  two  aces. 

"Whew,  some  hand  and  some  bidding!"  said 
Hammond,  in  an  exultant  tone.  "  Let's  see,"  and 
he  began  to  figure  out  loud,  "  Three  odd,  thirty, 
doubled  and  redoubled,  one-twenty;  fulfilling  con 
tract  one  hundred  more,  that's  two-twenty.  Less 
thirty  for  Manners'  honors,  one-ninety.  Add  two- 
fifty  for  rubber,  four-forty.  Add  twenty-seven  on  old 
score.  Four  sixty-seven  iron  men  total  damages." 

"  Might  have  known  as  much,"  replied  Manners 
in  deep  disgust.  "  Betting  on  a  sure  thing." 

"  Not  in  the  least.  You  could  have  made  four 
royals  even  if  I  hadn't  gone  up  to  four  without,  as 
I  probably  should,  and  been  set.  And,  as  for  your 
knowing  as  much,  I  certainly  told  you  times  enough 
that  I  had  a  splendid  hand.  As  far  as  I  can  see, 
you  have  no  one  to  blame  but  yourself." 

"  Well,  I  call  it  pretty  small  potatoes,  considering 
the  stakes  we  were  playing  for.  You  had  the  win 
ning  tricks  right  in  your  own  hand." 

Now  thoroughly  exasperated  as  much  by  his  man- 


98 MAN  PROPOSES 

ner  as  his  words,  and  aroused  by  the  liquor  — 
for  I  must  have  drunk  more  than  I  had  realized  — 
I  answered  hotly,  "  It  seems  to  me,  Mr.  Manners, 
that  if  either  of  us  can  be  accused  of  being  a  poor 
sport  I  am  not  the  one  who  has  laid  himself  open 
to  that  charge.  Didn't  I  warn  you  at  the  start  that 
I  had  an  unusual  hand  and  didn't  intend  to  play 
it?  Your  attitude  forced  me  to  do  so  against  my 
will.  Now  I'm  going  to  make  you  one  other  propo 
sition  to  settle  once  and  for  all  whether  there  is 
anything  in  your  insinuations,  or  not.  You  owe  me 
four  hundred  and  sixty-seven  dollars,  I  believe  it 
is.  I'll  cut  with  you  to  see  whether  you  pay  me 
double  or  nothing,  low  card  winning." 

This  suggestion  met  with  a  hilarious  welcome 
from  the  rest,  who  assailed  my  opponent  with  all 
manner  of  taunts,  and  there  was  nothing  for  him 
to  do  but  accept  or  be  marked  down  a  quitter. 

Taking  the  Hobson's  choice  he  shoved  the  pack 
over  to  me  and  I  turned  up  a  knave.  Biting  his  lips 
he  cut, —  a  trey,  and  I  arose  as  calmly  as  I  could, 
saying  "  We're  quits." 

Manners  immediately  became  jubilant,  and  as  Mr. 
Hammond  drew  me  toward  the  door  he  said  in  un 
mistakable  disgust  and  without  attempting  to  lower 
his  voice,  "  Hang  it  all,  I  was  praying  all  I  knew 
how  that  you  might  win  that,  Shaw.  Why,  I'd 
have  been  willing  to  pay  the  damages  myself  to  see 


I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY  99 

that  tightwad  get  stuck  a  thousand  dollars.  He's 
fairly  reeking  with  money,  and  all  he'll  ever  spend 
—  except  on  himself  —  is  the  evening." 

Dismissing  the  motor  which  had  called  for  us, 
we  walked  home  through  the  tropical  midnight  air, 
Mr.  Hammond  meanwhile  commenting  freely  and 
forcibly  on  our  late  host  and  his  methods  in  busi 
ness  and  otherwise.  One  of  his  apropos  remarks 
led  me  to  mention  what  I  had  heard  him  say  earlier 
in  the  evening  in  regard  to  the  Virginia  land  deal. 
My  companion  swore,  remarked  that  it  was  thor 
oughly  characteristic  of  his  methods,  and,  a  mo 
ment  later,  to  my  astonishment,  began  to  laugh 
heartily. 

"  Let  me  in  on  the  joke,  if  it's  that  good,"  said 
I,  and  as  he  answered,  stopped  short  with  a  sur 
prise  which  drove  every  other  matter  completely 
out  of  my  head,  for  I  heard  him  saying,  "  It  just 
struck  me  that  perhaps  friend  Manners  wouldn't 
have  been  so  free  in  discussing  his  plans  as  to  the 
Lees  if  he  knew  that  Miss  Lee  herself  —  the  unmar 
ried  one  —  was  within  half  a  mile  of  him  at  this 
moment,  and  all  of  his  guests  likely  to  meet  and 
become  friendly  with  her  almost  any  time.  If  he 
got  up  a  little  earlier  in  the  morning  he  would  have 
found  it  out  for  himself,  for  she  has  been  riding 
right  underneath  his  nose  before  breakfast  every 
day  for  a  week  past,  and  ride !  —  say,  she's  a  regu- 


100 MAX  PROPOSES 

lar  centaur  —  you  had  ought  to  see  her,  and  she's  a 
little  peach,  too." 

As  well  as  I  could  I  controlled  my  voice,  but,  even 
so,  my  answer,  "  I  should  like  to  see  her,"  was  as 
tonishingly  hearty. 

"  Oh,  you  will  in  time,  I  guess ;  in  fact  we  might 
run  up  to  the  Aldriches  and  call  some  day.  I've 
been  intending  to  wait  until  my  better  half  got  back, 
but,  if  you  like,  I'll  sacrifice  myself  and  go  as  your 
chaperon." 

"The  Aldriches?" 

"  Yes,  she's  visiting  there  —  the  big  colonial 
house  up  the  pike,  you  know.  Why,  if  Manners 
gets  wind  of  it  I'll  bet  a  spring  bonnet  that  he's  got 
just  nerve  enough  to  gain  an  introduction  and  lay 
siege  to  her  heart,  hand  —  and  land." 

"  Not  if  I  know  it,"  I  thought  to  myself,  and 
Mr.  Hammond  must  have  regarded  me  as  peculiarly 
inattentive  the  rest  of  the  way,  for  I  heard  scarcely 
another  word  that  he  said,  so  full  was  my  mind  of 
this  latest  and  wholly  unexpected  disclosure,  and  the 
manner  in  which  fate  was  furnishing  the  solution  to 
all  of  my  problems,  one  by  one.  It  had  begun  to 
seem  positively  uncanny. 

With  the  usual  unreasonable  conceit  of  youth  I 
gloated  over  the  knowledge  that  I  had  run  the 
quarry  to  earth  —  or  her  sister  at  least,  and  I  felt 
confident  that  where  one  was,  there  should  I  find 


I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY  101 

the  other  also  —  utterly  overlooking  the  plain 
truth  that  I  had  personally  done  not  a  single  thing 
to  achieve  the  result,  but  had  merely  been  the  fa 
vored  child  of  fortune.  I  hummed  in  high  spirits 
as  I  undressed,  feeling  that  my  mission  was  already 
as  good  as  accomplished,  my  exultant  mind  scorn 
ing  the  idea  of  any  obstacles  which  I  could  not 
surmount  with  ease.  When  I  was  ready  for  bed, 
I  found  that  all  inclination  for  sleep  had  vanished, 
and,  having  thrown  a  light  bath  robe  over  my  pa 
jamas,  I  picked  up  a  book  which  I  was  in  the  mid 
dle  of,  wholly  forgetful  of  my  earlier  remarks  about 
being  in  training  and  wanting  to  retire  early.  But 
neither  could  I  concentrate  my  mind  on  the  story, 
despite  its  being  a  most  entertaining  one.  The  ex 
citement  and  thronging  impressions  left  in  my  mind 
by  the  occurrences  of  the  evening  were  too  strong, 
and,  laying  the  book  aside,  lighting  a  cigarette  and 
leaning  back  with  my  hands  clasped  behind  my 
head,  I  let  my  thoughts  run  over  the  various  inci 
dents  again  and  again. 

In  time  the  discovery  of  Mrs.  Willard's  retreat 
ceased  to  present  itself  as  the  most  important  of 
the  evening's  events,  and  the  facts  which  I  had 
learned  by  chance  about  Manners'  operations  and 
plans,  to  assume  first  place  in  my  thoughts.  I  be 
came  convinced  that  it  was  very  much  up  to  me  to 
make  use  of  the  information  which  I  had  acquired, 


102 MAN  PROPOSES 

and,  moreover,  to  act  upon  it  quickly,  if  I  were  to 
accomplish  anything. 

The  more  I  thought  over  the  situation  the  more 
clearly  it  appeared  that  I  owed  it  as  a  corollary  to 
my  duty  to  Mr.  Willard  to  protect  his  wife's  inter 
ests,  if  possible,  even  though  I  was  not  employed  for 
that  purpose.  And  I  also  began  to  feel  a  chivalric 
desire,  like  Robin  Hood,  to  prevent  injustice  being 
done  by  the  stronger  to  the  weaker  —  especially 
since  that  weaker  was  a  woman. 

Getting  paper  and  fountain  pen  I  proceeded  to 
write  out  for  my  employer  a  concise  account  of 
•what  I  had  learned  at  the  Manners',  and  added  the 
name  of  the  publisher  of  the  volume  in  which  he 
could  find  the  name  of  the  grantor  whose  defective 
deed  might  yet  be  the  cause  of  so  much  trouble  for 
the  Lee  family. 

This  done,  a  sudden  mad  impulse  seized  me.  I 
would  accomplish  the  whole  thing  single-handed. 
The  thought  that  I  might  not  possess  the  ability  to 
do  so  never  entered  my  head.  After  the  briefest 
moment's  hesitation  I  tore  up  the  letter,  and  get 
ting  a  clean  sheet  of  paper  wrote  as  follows  to  a 
friend  and  classmate  at  the  law  school,  Jack  Bor- 
roughs,  whose  home  was  in  Petersburg  —  a  fact 
that  had  been  recalled  to  my  mind  a  few  weeks  pre 
vious  by  the  receipt  from  him  of  an  announcement 
that  he  had  opened  his  own  office  in  that  city. 


I  MAKE  AX  ENEMY          103 


"Dear  Jack: 

"  Upon  receipt  of  this  epistle  you  are  to  call  off 
everything  that  you  may  be  doing  else,  and  immedi 
ately  devote  the  whole  of  your  time  and  gray  matter 
to  the  accomplishment  of  what  may  prove  to  be  a  dif 
ficult  and  delicate  task,  on  my  behalf.  I  feel  sure  that 
if  you  cannot  do  this,  or  chance  to  be  retained  already 
by  conflicting  interests  you  will  let  me  know  at  once, 
and  consider  this  letter  as  strictly  confidential  and  not 
to  be  taken  advantage  of  in  any  way.  You  see  what 
a  compliment  I  am  paying  you  in  suggesting  that  even 
a  lawyer  can  be  so  honest. 

"  I  am  attorney  for  a  Mr.  Roland  Willard  of  Bos 
ton,  whose  name  may  be  familiar  to  you  for  he  re 
cently  married  one  of  the  belles  from  your  vicinity, 
Miss  Margaret  Lee  of  Fairdale.  I  am  now  in  New 
port  for  him  on  another  matter,  and  only  to-night 
learned,  by  the  merest  chance,  that  a  certain  New 
York  corporation  (whose  name  I  unfortunately  do 
not  know),  which  is  controlled  by  a  Mr.  Edward 
Manners,  the  big  financier,  has  acquired  a  large  tract 
of  hardwood  land  somewhere  in  your  neighborhood. 

"  He  believes  that  it  is  essential  to  gain  possession 
of  a  strip  owned  by  the  Lee  family,  which  apparently 
cuts  their  holdings  almost  in  two. 

"  The  Lee  homestead  is  situated  right  at  the  edge  of 
it,  and  they  refuse  to  sell. 

"It  further  seems  that  this  iniquitous  corporation 
(all  corporations  are  that,  we  attorneys  know),  has 
had  a  lawyer  on  the  spot  for  some  time,  and  he  (I 
hope  that  he  is  not  you)  has  or  thinks  he  has,  discov 
ered  a  flaw  in  the  title  to  that  particular  strip  of  land. 


104 MAN  PROPOSES 

If  the  Lee  girls  persist  in  their  refusal  to  sell,  the 
company  plans  to  subsidize  the  heirs  of  the  grantor  — 
I  presume  that  he  is  dead  —  and  get  them  to  void  the 
title,  if  possible,  on  behalf  of  the  corporation. 

"  Here's  where  you  come  in,  D.  V.  It  is  up  to  you 
to  find  out  who  that  grantor  was,  look  up  the  deed  and 
if  you  find  that  they  are  right  about  it,  and  that  it  is 
defective,  turn  Sherlock  Holmes,  run  to  earth  the 
heirs  and  get  from  them  a  confirmatory  deed  before 
they  fall  for  any  proposition  which  the  company  may 
make. 

"  This  is  sort  of  a  leap  in  the  dark,  and  my  informa 
tion  is  very  meager,  but  if  the  facts  are  as  I  have 
learned  them  it's  worth  one  of  the  biggest  fees  you  ever 
received  to  get  that  deed  for  us  and  slap  it  on  record 
P.  D.  Q. 

"  I  assume  that  you  can  trace  the  title  through  your 
grantee's  indexes  in  the  registry,  but  if  you  have  any 
difficulty  you  can  find  more  than  I  have  been  able  to 
tell  you  about  the  strip  and  its  grantor  in  a  volume 
called  '  The  Lees  of  Virginia,'  at  page  211. 

"  Good  luck  to  both  of  us. 

"  Sincerely  your  friend, 

"JOHN  ALDEN  SHAW." 

Strange,  is  it  not,  how  the  merely  associating 
with  men  of  big  affairs  and  almost  unlimited  means 
—  and  a  few  highballs  —  can  affect  one  ? 

Here  was  I,  John  Alden  Shaw,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  penniless  and  little  more  than  the  slav 
ing  junior  member  of  a  law  office,  one  who  had  al 
ways  considered  long  and  carefully  before  spend- 


I  MAKE  AN  ENEMY  105 

ing  a  ten-dollar  bill,  pledging  myself  for  the  pay 
ment  of  a  big  counsel  fee  without  any  authority, 
and  giving  instructions  on  my  own  initiative  in  a 
matter  in  which  tens  of  thousands  might  perhaps  be 
involved. 

The  letter  written  and  deposited  in  the  mail  re 
ceptacle  I  tumbled  into  bed  and  slept  the  sleep  of  the 
just. 


V  ' 
CHAPTER  IX 

IN    WHICH    I   BECOME  A   HERO 

WHEN  I  awoke  the  following  morning  the  thrice- 
welcome  sun  —  since  unseen  for  three  days  — •  was 
well  up  in  the  heavens. 

I  bounded  out  of  bed  and  looked  at  my  watch. 
Nine-thirty ! 

My  temples  felt  somewhat  constricted,  but  an  in 
vigorating  cold  plunge,  and  a  few  deep  breaths  at 
the  open  window  dispelled  this  quickly,  and  in 
twenty  minutes,  shaved  and  clothed  in  my  right 
mind,  I  was  tiptoeing  past  Mr.  Hammond's  door 
from  behind  which  gentle  snores  informed  me  that 
my  host  was  still  in  the  land  of  Nod. 

Exercising  the  freedom  of  the  house  —  a  priv 
ilege  freely  extended  to  me  by  Mr.  Hammond  —  I 
ordered  my  solitary  breakfast,  and  then  started  out 
for  a  brisk  walk  alone. 

The  air,  clear  and  cool  after  the  three  days'  rain, 
was  like  ambrosia  to  the  taste,  and  the  countryside, 
now  washed  and  smiling  after  its  bath,  looked  like 
the  Elysium  fields.  I  was  clad  in  a  faultless  and 
spotless  flannel  outing  suit  and  wore  a  becom- 

106 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  107 

ing  panama,  and  the  feeling  of  satisfaction  which 
my  fine  raiment  produced,  the  bright  sunshine  and 
the  high  hopes  which  I  held  for  a  speedy  meeting 
with  Miss  Lee  —  or  rather  Mrs.  Willard  —  all  com 
bined  to  make  me  revel  in  the  mere  fact  of  living. 

Two  of  Air.  Hammond's  dogs,  a  stately 
Newfoundland  and  a  frisky  Scottish  terrier,  had 
joined  forces  with  me  for  the  ramble,  and  their  char 
acteristic  antics  showed  that  they  responded  as  I 
did,  to  the  glorious  morning. 

Together  we  alternately  raced  and  walked  down 
the  road  in  the  direction  of  the  Aldrich  mansion, 
for  I  had  it  in  mind  to  let  no  time  elapse  before 
giving  my  patron  saint  the  opportunity  for  working 
another  miracle  on  my  behalf,  to  wit,  presenting 
the  object  of  my  mission  to  me,  and  I  had  no  doubt 
but  that  this  desired  result  would  shortly  be  accom 
plished. 

As  we  approached  a  rustic  wooden  bridge  which 
spanned  the  brook,  I  noticed  a  pretty  little  tot  of 
four  or  five  summers  playing  on  it,  while  her  nurse 
sat,  deeply  engrossed  in  a  book,  under  a  tree  by  the 
roadside.  The  child  was  balancing  herself  over 
the  lower  of  the  rails  dropping  pebbles  into  the 
stream,  and  as  we  drew  near  her,  the  terrier  rushed 
forward  barking  furiously  after  the  nature  of  the 
beast,  but  only  intent  on  play.  The  little  maiden 
misread  his  intentions,  however,  screamed  in  terror, 


108 MAN  PROPOSES 

lost  her  balance  and  pitched  headlong  over  the  rail 
and  into  the  water. 

Simultaneously  came  another  shrill  scream  from 
her  attendant  and  a  shout  from  me  and  we  both 
dashed  madly  for  the  spot.  A  dozen  leaps  carried 
me  to  the  bridge,  and,  without  pausing  to  think,  I 
dove  dramatically  headfirst  over  the  railing. 

An  instant  later  I  was  standing  up,  the  strug 
gling,  sobbing  miss  in  my  arms,  both  of  us  covered 
from  top  to  toe  with  thick,  slimy  mud  —  with  the 
water  not  up  to  my  waist. 

As  I  shook  the  liquid  mud  from  my  eyes,  the  first 
thing  which  they  lit  upon  was  the  lithe,  boyish  fig 
ure  of  a  young  woman  racing  at  full  speed  down 
the  lawn  from  the  Aldriches' —  in  short,  none  other 
than  my  rider  of  the  chestnut  mare,  Miss  Lee. 

My  chagrin  may  better  be  imagined  than  de 
scribed.  Here,  forsooth,  was  a  brave  meeting,  a 
fine  climax  to  my  deed  of  valor. 

Completely  downcast,  and  swearing  inwardly,  I 
waded  dejectedly  ashore,  the  mud  sloshing  ludi 
crously  at  each  footstep,  and  surrendered  my  bur 
den  into  the  outstretched  arms  of  the  vision,  who 
began  to  cuddle  and  comfort  the  frightened  young 
ster,  utterly  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  her  own  im 
maculately  snowy  lawn  dress  was  speedily  being 
reduced  into  dank  and  muddy  bedraggledness. 
After  a  moment,  during  which  I  stood  uncertainly, 


1  BECOME  A  HERO  109 

she  passed  the  child  over  to  her  nurse,  whose  apron 
straightway  suffered  the  fate  of  the  vision's  dress, 
and  held  out  both  her  hands  to  me,  saying,  "  How 
can  I  thank  you,  sir  ?  It  was  the  quickest  and  brav 
est  thing  I  ever  saw." 

"Brave!"  I  ejaculated  in  deep  disgust,  wholly 
forgetful  of  my  manners.  "  Do  you  call  this 
brave  ?  "  Simultaneously  we  looked  down  at  my 
mud  encrusted  form  —  and  burst  into  a  shout  of 
laughter. 

As  soon  as  we  could  catch  our  breath  after  a 
moment  of  hysterical  giggling,  like  school-girls, 
she  replied  earnestly,  "  Yes,  of  course  I  do.  You 
couldn't  know  that  the  brook  was  only  a  mud  hole, 
and  it  is  the  spirit  that  counts.  Besides,  three  feet 
of  water  was  enough  for  little  Janet  to  drown  in," 
and  she  again  extended  her  hand. 

"  Thank  you.  Your  words  take  at  least  the 
worst  sting  out  of  my  present  ignominy,  Miss  Lee." 
Her  name  slipped  out  unconsciously,  and  I  would 
have  given  a  good  deal  to  have  recalled  it,  for  I 
felt  her  start,  and  she  instantly  withdrew  her  hand 
from  my  muddy  but  close  clasp. 

"How  did  you  know  my  name?"  she  asked 
quickly,  and  in  some  agitation. 

Realizing  that  I  had  put  my  foot  in  it,  but  de 
cided  to  carry  my  slip  through  as  well  as  I  could, 
I  continued  breezily,  "  I  didn't." 


110 MAN  PROPOSES 

"Then  how  .  .  .  why  .  .  .?" 

"  I  spoke  it  absolutely  unconsciously,"  I  replied 
truthfully,  "  and  I  suppose  my  mind  struck  upon  it 
by  a  process  of  subconscious  reasoning.  You  see, 
I  had  been  told  that  a  Miss  Lee  was  staying  with 
the  Aldriches —  I  am  a  guest  of  your  neighbor, 
Mr.  Hammond.  Moreover,  I  recall  having  seen  a 
newspaper  picture  of  that  Miss  Lee  from  Virginia 
who  recently  married  Roland  Willard,  and  having 
read  that  she  had  a  younger  sister  who  was  almost 
the  image  of  her  —  as  you  indeed  are  of  that  photo 
graph.  Voila,  there  you  are.  Isn't  it  simple  ?  " 

"  I  thought  Sherlock  Holmes  was  dead,"  she  an 
swered,  smiling  again,  a  bewitching  smile  so  natural 
and  infectious  that  it  captivated  me  at  once. 

"  His  methods  live,  you  see." 

"  I  suppose  I  ought  to  say  '  marvelous.' ' 

"  Of  course.  And  now,  since  you  admit  the 
identity,  may  I  introduce  myself  as  John  Alden 
Shaw,  of  Boston,  attorney  at  law,  at  your  service, 
so  we  start  even  again."  With  this  I,  in  turn, 
extended  my  hand,  and  after  just  the  barest  mo 
ment  of  hesitation,  she  took  it  with  another  peal 
of  laughter. 

We  were  so  engrossed  that  we  had  not  noticed  a 
motor  car  come  up  behind  me  as  we  stood  in  this 
striking  but  ludicrous  posture.  A  young  man 
sprang  out  of  it  onto  the  bridge,  exclaiming,  "  Well, 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  111 

for  the  love  of  Mike!"  Then,  as  he  caught  sight 
of  my  mud-streaked  face,  he  sat  down  suddenly  on 
the  auto  step,  placed  his  hands  to  his  sides  and 
went  off  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  shouting,  "  John 
Alden  Shaw,  by  all  that's  good  and  holy!  I  sup 
pose  you've  read  that  we  Newport  profligates  some 
time  indulge  in  a  swim  fully  dressed  for  novelty, 
but  I  assure  you  that  we  don't  consider  it  an  fait 
to  do  it  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  nor  choose 
a  mudhole  like  this  in  which  to  disport  ourselves. 
What  are  you  doing  in  Newport,  anyway  —  except 
taking  mud  baths  ?  " 

"  You  needn't  laugh,  Bert  Aldrich,"  broke  in 
Miss  Lee  with  some  energy.  "  It  isn't  any  laugh 
ing  matter.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  Mr.  Shaw's  pres 
ence,  and  his  promptness  and  bravery,  your  niece 
might  be  dead  this  minute.  I  can  imagine  you  div 
ing  headfirst  into  a  brook  to  save  any  one,  with 
out  thinking  it  over  for  an  hour,  during  which  she 
would  have  had  time  to  drown  a  dozen  times." 

This  sarcastic  and  somewhat  illogical  remark  had 
an  immediate  sobering  effect  upon  the  newcomer. 
He  demanded,  and  was  given,  full  explanations,  and 
then  also  joined  the  ancient  and  honorable  order  of 
the  Muddy  Hand,  by  seizing  and  shaking  mine 
vigorously. 

Could  anything  have  been  more  opportune? 
Surely  Fate  was  working  overtime  in  my  behalf,  for 


112 MAN  PROPOSES 

it  happened  that  Bert  Aldrich  was  the  third  —  and 
last  —  of  the  New  York-Newporters  whom  I  had 
known  at  Harvard.  And  I  had  known  him  well, 
too,  as  we  were  members  of  the  same  society,  and, 
once  more,  my  heart  sent  up  a  little  silent  hymn  of 
thanksgiving  and  exultation  over  this  further  piece 
of  luck,  for  was  not  the  object  of  my  quest  actually 
domiciled  at  his  home? 

"  Miss  Lee  has  exaggerated,  of  course.  Any 
body  would  have  done  what  I  did,  and  most  would 
have  had  sense  enough  to  wade  in  and  make  the 
rescue  without  the  dramatics.  But,  you  bet  that 
I'm  mighty  glad  to  have  been  Johnny  on  the  spot, 
Bert.  As  a  matter  of  fact  though,  my  dog  —  or 
rather  Hammond's  —  was  the  cause  of  little  Janet's 
being  in  the  brook  at  all,  so  I  was  to  blame  for  the 
accident  in  the  first  place." 

When  I  said  "  Miss  Lee  "  I  saw  Bert  glance  in 
quiringly  at  the  other,  and  she,  reading  his  look 
aright,  replied,  "  Yes,  you  see  we  have  already  in 
troduced  ourselves  to  one  another." 

"  Well,  under  these  rather  exceptional  circum 
stances  I  don't  see  how  I  can  enter  any  objections, 
even  though  I  am  your  chaperon  and  responsible 
for  your  friends  in  Newport.  Anyway,  certainly 
neither  of  you  would  ever  recognize  the  other  again 
in  conventional  attire." 

We  laughingly  denied  the  allegation. 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  113 

And  certainly  I  was  not  likely  ever  to  forget 
the  picture  Miss  Lee  made,  her  bewitchingly  lovely 
face  rising  above  her  mud  and  water  soaked 
dress  like  a  beautiful  water  lily  from  out  the  river 
mire. 

When  a  woman  can  look  so  charmingly  sweet  and 
attractive  under  such  circumstances,  I  thought,  she 
must  indeed  be  blessed  with  rare  loveliness,  and  as 
I  covertly  studied  her  beautiful  face  still  childlike 
in  its  contour,  crowned  by  a  mass  of  wonderfully 
soft  hair,  brown  but  indescribably  streaked  and 
flecked  with  burnished  gold,  coiled  close  against  her 
neck,  her  large  expressive  eyes,  similarly  colored 
and  shaded,  and  her  graceful  slender  form,  its  girl 
ish  curves  accentuated  by  the  moist  clinging  gown, 
I  knew,  on  the  instant,  that  in  her  I  had  found  my 
very  ideal  of  womanly  beauty. 

My  thought  was  interrupted  by  Bert's  hearty 
voice,  "  Come  on,  pile  into  the  machine  and  I'll  take 
you  up  to  the  house  for  a  bath  and  change ;  I  guess 
you  can  wear  my  duds." 

But  I  refused  with  thanks,  saying,  "  There's  no 
need  of  that,  old  man,  for  it's  only  a  few  minutes' 
run  down  the  street  to  my  own  abode,  and  nobody  is 
likely  to  see  me  on  the  way.  You  take  Miss  Lee 
right  along  before  she  catches  cold,  for  she  is  pretty 
moist,  I'm  afraid.  If  I  may  though,  I'll  run  over 
this  afternoon  to  inquire  whether  or  not  little  Janet 


114 MAN  PROPOSES 

has  suffered  any  ill  effect  from  her  unexpected 
bath." 

"  Sure.  After  this  morning's  episode  our  house 
and  all  therein  is  yours.  Eh,  '  sister '  ?  "  Miss  Lee 
blushed  rosily,  but  whether  at  the  familiar  pet  name 
or  the  insinuation,  I  could  not  say. 

She  seemed  about  to  reply,  then  hesitated,  so  Bert 
continued, 

"  Silence  gives  assent,  so  you  may  consider  your 
self  unanimously  elected,  only  I  warn  you  that  when 
my  real  sister,  Ethel,  hears  of  this  deed  of  valor  and 
sees  you  coming,  even  a  long  way  off,  like  old  father 
Prodigal,  she  will  run  and  fall  on  your  neck,  for 
saving  her  child.  Incidentally,  don't  consider  it  a 
call,  but  come  early,  bring  your  tennis  bat  —  if  you 
are  still  playing  at  the  game  —  and  stay  to  dinner, 
there'll  be  no  one  there  but  the  family  — "  here  he, 
too,  stopped  as  though  struck  by  a  sudden  hitherto 
unconsidered  thought,  but  after  an  almost  inper- 
ceptible  pause  continued,  "  and  all  of  them  will  be 
ready  to  start  *  Hail  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes ' 
on  the  phonograph  at  your  approach." 

The  meaning  of  these  two  pauses  was  evident 
enough  to  me,  but  far  from  being  deterred  by  the 
presence  of  the  recluse,  I  accepted  the  invitation  in 
its  entity  all  the  more  eagerly,  and  after  a  final 
hand  clasp,  left  them  and  started  off  down  the  road 
on  the  run. 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  115 

I  had  confidently  prophesied  that  I  would  meet  no 
one.  Foolish  forecast.  Hardly  had  I  covered  half 
the  distance  when  I  saw  a  group  of  riders  approach 
ing  on  the  gallop.  In  the  lead  were  Will  Manners 
and  Robert  Goodwin,  and  closely  following  them 
the  two  young  women  whom  I  had  seen  in  the  lat- 
ter's  company  that  evening  at  the  Casino. 

At  my  astonishing  appearance  they  all  drew  rein 
suddenly,  and  Manners  greeted  me  in  cold  polite 
tones,  "  Good  morning,  Mr.  Shaw.  Gathering 
ammunition  this  morning?" 

I  removed  my  sadly  dilapidated  head  covering, 
but  before  I  could  answer  they  rode  on,  laughing 
among  themselves. 

"  Now  what  in  the  devil  did  he  mean  by  that," 
I  thought,  as  I  started  off  at  full  speed  again. 
"  *  Gathering  more  ammunition  ?  '  The  only  thing 
I  had  been  gathering  so  far  as  I  could  see,  was 
mud." 

The  meaning  of  his  remark  flashed  through  my 
mind.  Manners  was  subtly  accusing  me  of  being 
a  mud  slinger,  was  he?  I  stopped,  turned  around 
angrily  and  shook  my  fist  at  the  fast  disappearing 
backs. 

More  laughter  at  my  expense,  good-natured  this 
time,  awaited  me  when  I  attempted  to  sneak  into  the 
Hammond  domicile,  but  when  I  had  reluctantly  re 
counted  the  story  of  my  morning's  adventure  my 


116 MAN  PROPOSES 

host  clapped  me  on  the  shoulder,  with,  "  Bully  for 
you  again,  old  man!  But  I  warn  you  that  if  you 
continue  to  become  the  hero  of  daily  adventures  like 
this  and  the  one  last  night,  the  young  unmarried 
Newporters  will  soon  be  riding  you  out  of  town  on 
a  nice  sharp  rail.  Two  of  last  evening's  little 
gathering  have  already  called  me  up  this  morning  to 
gloat  over  your  tilt  with  Manners,  and  I  lose  my 
guess  if  the  whole  story,  with  embellishments,  isn't 
in  next  week's  '  Town  Topics.' ' 

I  laughed  somewhat  uncertainly,  and  becoming 
serious,  he  added, 

"  But  a  word  to  the  wise  should  be  sufficient. 
Don't  let  this  morning's  romantic  introduction  lead 
you  into  any  indiscretions,  my  lad." 

Really  puzzled  I  said,  "  I  don't  quite  get  your 
meaning." 

"  Oh,  perhaps  my  remark  hasn't  any.  I  was  just 
throwing  out  a  hint  at  random,  but  your  somewhat 
vivid  description  of  Miss  Lee  led  me  to  think  that 
perhaps  you  were  a  bit  smitten  at  first  sight,  that's 
all." 

Again  I  laughed  uneasily  for  I  knew  that  his 
chance  shot  had  scored  a  touch.  He  went  on,  "  You 
mustn't  forget  that  your  heroine  is  somewhat  of  an 
heiress  and  a  great  belle  at  home  and  it  would  be 
hardly  wise  to  get  serious.  Don't  think  that  I  mean 
you  might  not  make  an  ideal  husband  in  every 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  117 

respect,"  he  added  hastily,  "  but  you  will  pardon 
my  saying  that,  although  you  have  not  said  it  in  so 
many  words,  I  have  gained  the  impression  that  you 
yourself  are  not  rolling  in  wealth,  despite  your  in 
dications  of  unbounded  means  last  evening." 

I  flushed  with  chagrin  over  the  thought  that  my 
deception  had  been  so  easily  pierced,  a  fact  which 
might  speak  badly  for  my  further  success  in  that 
role,  but  my  mind  was  eased  somewhat  when  he 
said,  "  Of  course  I  may  be  wrong,  and  it's  none  of 
my  business  anyway.  If  I  have  guessed  right  it  is 
from  certain  little  things  which  you  have  let  slip 
in  our  many  confidential  talks  together  the  past  few 
days,  for  let  me  say  that  you  certainly  play  the  part 
of  a  Croesus  to  the  manner  born." 

There  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  further  decep 
tion  so  I  admitted  the  truth  of  his  surmise  frankly, 
adding,  "  I  suppose  you  think  me  a  fool,  but  it  was 
a  holiday  whim,  not  likely  to  injure  any  one." 

"  Certainly  no  one  but  yourself  at  the  most,"  he 
corrected.  "  And  personally  I've  been  tickled  to 
death  at  getting  hold  of  you.  I  see  so  much  of  the 
petered  out  nonentities  which  constitute  most  of  our 
present  younger  generation  to-day  —  hopeless  bores, 
all  of  them  —  that  it's  positively  refreshing  to  run 
across  a  man  like  you  with  some  fresh  originality 
and  brains." 

I  made  a  mocking  curtsy  of  thanks, 


118 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  I'm  in  earnest.  I  believe  that  you  represent  an 
earnest,  energetic  type  that  is  conspicuous  by  its  ab 
sence  in  the  younger  scions  of  wealth.  There  are 
striking  exceptions  of  course,  fellows  coming  along 
who  have  all  their  father's  brains  and  ability,  like 
your  friend  Bert  Aldrich,  for  example,  a  fine  virile 
young  chap  in  whose  hands  can  be  entrusted  without 
any  misgivings  the  great  wealth  which  will  some 
day  be  his.  But  most  of  the  present  crowd  make 
me  sick.  Bob  Goodwin  is  a  fair  sample,  a  society 
snob  of  no  value  whatsoever  to  the  world,  and  even 
the  genial  Dick  Witherbee  hasn't  a  serious  thought 
in  his  head  and  probably  never  will  have. 

"  I  like  you,  John.  I'll  be  glad  to  help  you  play 
your  little  game  and  be  damned  sorry  to  see  you  go 
back  to  you  ten  per  —  or  whatever  may  be  your 
princely  remuneration." 

I  thanked  him  again,  with  some  embarrassment 
but  filled  with  gratitude  for  his  appreciative  words, 
and  before  he  left  me  he  added  one  more  sentence 
in  line  with  what  he  had  said  previously. 

"  I  am  perfectly  honest  in  the  expression  of  my 
regard  for  you  personally  and  as  a  type,  but  just  the 
same  there  was  some  meat  in  my  remark  a  minute 
ago.  This  business  of  the  worthy  but  poor  young 
man  falling  in  love  with  the  rich  and  beautiful 
heiress  is  very  romantic  and  charming  —  in  books. 
But,  unfortunately,  ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hun- 


I  BECOME  A  HERO  119 

dred  it  doesn't  work  out  that  way  in  this  old  world 
of  sin  and  tribulation.  No  man  with  any  stuff  in 
him  can  be  happy  when  dependent  on  his  wife's 
charity.  Have  a  good  time,  make  hay  while  the  sun 
shines,  but  wear  a  good  strong  shirt  of  mail  against 
Mr.  Cupid's  darts,  is  the  advice  of  an  old  and  very 
wise  man.  And  now  enough  of  moralizing.  Get 
cleaned  up  and  we'll  have  an  early  lunch.  So  long." 
Good  sound  advice,  truly.  I  knew  it,  and  firmly 
resolved  to  remember  and  be  guided  by  it.  But,  as 
Bobby  Burns  so  aptly  said,  "  The  best  laid  schemes 
o'  mice  and  men  gang  aft  agley." 


CHAPTER  X 

IN   WHICH   I   SCALE  A   CITADEL 

INSISTING  that  I  make  my  triumphal  entry  at  the 
Aldriches  in  fitting  style,  Mr.  Hammond  sent  me 
over,  after  luncheon,  in  his  car,  and  as  we  rolled  up 
the  long  curving  driveway,  the  thought  came  to  me 
that  the  Lee  girls  could  not  well  have  selected  a  bet 
ter  place  of  retreat  from  spying  eyes,  nor  one  more 
likely  to  be  pleasing  to  the  taste  of  Southerners,  for 
the  house  was  an  exact  reproduction  of  an  old  time 
Virginia  mansion  of  perfect  type. 

It  was  of  red  brick,  vine  covered,  low,  but  spacious 
and  having  the  inevitable  broad  verandas  and  tall 
stately  white  pillars.  Nor  were  the  grounds  af 
fected  with  any  of  the  stiff  formality  so  frequently 
seen  about  the  Newport  "  cottages."  The  gardens 
were  strictly  of  the  old-fashioned  variety,  and  the 
lawns,  although  perfect,  somewhat  limited.  They 
gave  on  both  sides  into  broad  fields  unmarred  by 
the  conventionalizing  handiwork  of  man.  At  some 
distance  on  the  slope,  which  ran  down  to  the  little 
stream,  was  a  lazy  flock  of  snow-white  sheep  con 
tentedly  grazing. 

120 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL1          121 

Drowsy  peace  fulness  and  contentment  character 
ized  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  place,  and  from  the 
cupola  atop  the  house  to  the  rambling  outbuildings 
behind  it,  the  picture  was  so  typically  Southern, 
that  I  fully  looked  to  see  a  colored  butler  open  the 
door  at  my  ring  —  and  I  was  not  disappointed. 

As  he  stood  there  bowing,  an  animated  little 
bundle  of  outstanding  flounces  and  petticoats  rushed 
underneath  his  arm  and  flung  herself  into  mine.  I 
don't  know  how  little  Janet  recognized  me,  but  she 
did,  and  she,  at  least,  was  living  up  to  Bert's 
prophecy  on  behalf  of  the  family.  Her  mother, 
Mrs.  Gary,  was  close  behind  her,  and  although  she 
did  not  follow  suit  exactly,  the  warmth  of  her  greet 
ing  instantly  made  me  feel  that  I  was  to  find  in  her 
a  true  and  everlasting  friend,  and  so  it  was  to  prove. 

We  had  not  conversed  over  a  minute  before  we 
discovered  that  we  really  were  old  acquaintances, 
for  I  had  met  and  danced  with  her  at  Harvard,  both 
at  the  Junior  Prom  and  on  Class  Day,  and  admitted 
to  having  fallen  violently  in  love  with  her  for  nearly 
twenty-four  hours  on  each  occasion.  And  indeed 
she  was  a  most  lovable  soul,  rather  petite  and  plump, 
and  overflowing  with  good  spirits. 

While  we  were  still  in  animated  conversation  re 
calling  old  times,  Bert  put  in  his  appearance,  and 
after  demonstrating  some  surprise  over  the  rapidity 
with  which  our  acquaintance  had  ripened  into  in- 


122 MAN  PROPOSES 

timacy,  and  threatening  to  telegraph  at  once  for  his 
brother-in-law,  led  me  away  to  a  summer-house  to 
meet  his  mother  and  father.  My  walk  thither  was 
somewhat  impeded  because  of  the  fact  that  little 
Janet  insisted  upon  clinging  to  one  of  my  legs. 

As  I  had  heard,  now  I  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Al- 
drich  to  be  a  quiet,  retiring  and  happy  couple  of  more 
than  middle  age,  who,  indeed,  seemed  to  resemble 
a  country  clergyman  and  his  spouse  more  than  the 
ordinary  conception  of  master  and  mistress  of  a 
fortune  counted  in  eight  figures  to  the  left  of  the 
decimal  point. 

The  former  was  very  tall,  angular  and  wore  the 
mutton  chop  whiskers  of  a  period  thirty  years  previ 
ous  with  a  complacence  unshaken  by  Bert's  frequent 
irreverent  remark  that,  "  a  hare  lip  is  a  misfortune, 
a  club  foot  a  deformity,  but  side  whiskers  are  a 
man's  own  fault."  The  latter  was  very  short,  very 
plump,  very  rosy  and  had  a  quick  lively  birdlike  way 
of  moving  and  talking  which  I  found  extremely  fas 
cinating.  Both  were  the  very  soul  of  hospitality, 
and  their  welcome,  too,  was  so  hearty  and  unaffected 
that  it  brought  a  mist  before  my  eyes  and  I  straight 
way  felt  that  Bert's  promise  that  I  would  be  received 
into  the  family  circle  as  a  bona  fide  member  thereof, 
was  no  idle  words. 

Inside  of  half  an  hour,  spent  in  general  talk,  I 
felt  as  though  I  ought  to  be  calling  them  Aunt  Mary 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          123 

and  Uncle  something  —  I  had  not  heard  his  given 
name,  for  his  better  half  always  addressed  him  as 
"  Mr.  Aldrich,"  which  made  me  feel  more  like  a 
relation  than  ever,  for  I  had  never  heard  my  ma 
ternal  grandmother  call  her  husband  anything  but 
"  Mr.  Alden." 

I  was  really  sorry  when  Bert  appeared  again  to 
carry  me  off  to  his  room,  there  to  change  into  tennis 
regalia,  and  on  the  way  he  jollied  me  well  over  the 
impression  that  I  had  created. 

As  soon  as  we  were  closeted  together,  however, 
he  dropped  his  bantering  tone  and  said  very  seri 
ously,  "  John,  old  man,  I've  got  to  tell  you  something 
which  I  know  you  will  regard  as  strictly  con 
fidential." 

I  surmised,  in  a  general  way,  what  was  in  the 
wind,  and,  of  course,  assented. 

"  We  all  want  you  to  feel  and  make  yourself  very 
much  at  home  in  this  house  while  you  are  in  New 
port,  and,  in  fact,  if  you  feel  like  deserting  Ham 
mond  and  making  your  headquarters  here  I  should 
be  delighted.  Even  if  it  were  not  for  our  good 
friendship  at  Harvard,  this  morning's  event  would  be 
aplenty  to  give  you  the  '  open  sesame  '  here,  you  may 
be  sure." 

I  thanked  him,  but  said  I  hardly  thought  I  would 
take  advantage  of  the  second  half  of  his  invitation, 
adding,  however,  that  I  most  certainly  would  use, 


124 MAN  PROPOSES 

and  perhaps  abuse,  the  privilege  granted  in  the  first 
part  thereof. 

"  Do  that,"  he  added,  "  but  unless  you  learn  with 
out  delay  about  the  decidedly  unusual  and  peculiar 
condition  which  obtains  in  our  household  at  present 
and  govern  yourself  accordingly,  your  presence 
might  cause  much  embarrassment  to  one  of  our 
guests.  You  might  innocently  but  inadvertently  let 
slip  a  chance  remark  which  would  upset  the  whole 
kettle  of  fish,  so  it  seems  to  be  up  to  me  to  tip  you 
off  to  existing  conditions. 

"  I  should  not  take  the  trouble  to  do  this,  but  in 
stead  would  take  a  chance  that  you  wouldn't  think 
anything  peculiar  in  the  fact  that  there  is  not  one, 
but  two  Miss  Lees  staying  with  us,  if  it  were  not 
that  I've  heard  that  you  already  know  all  about  the 
recent  marriage  of  one  of  them  to  your  Boston 
Willard,  and  had  by  a  peculiar  and  perhaps  unfor 
tunate  coincidence  recognized  '  sister '  this  morning 
from  her  likeness  to  a  newspaper  picture  of  the 
bride." 

When  he  spoke  of  "  two  Miss  Lees "  I  could 
scarcely  suppress  a  start,  for  this  seemed  to  in 
dicate  a  still  further  complication. 

I  had,  of  course,  expected  him  to  say  that  Mrs. 
Willard  was  the  other  guest  to  whom  he  had  been 
referring.  But  he  misconstrued  my  look  of  evident 
surprise,  and  continued,  "  I  don't  wonder  that  you 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          125 

seem  astonished.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  situation 
is  a  decidedly  peculiar  and  mixed  up  one,  and  our 
staid  old-fashione^l  family  is,  as  a  consequence,  just 
now  involved  in  about  as  queer  a  family  tangle  as 
you  could  imagine. 

"  But  it  is  up  to  you  to  get  any  surprise  that  you 
may  experience  over  the  Arabian  Night's  tale  I'm 
going  to  tell  you,  out  of  your  system  while  you're  up 
here  with  me.  You  know  that  my  purpose  in  telling 
it  is  so  that  hereafter  you  won't  indicate  by  word 
or  look,  either  that  you're  acquainted  with  the  cir 
cumstances  or  find  anything  out  of  the  way  in  the 
situation.  That's  the  way  we're  all  acting  by  mu 
tual  assent,  in  order  to  save  Mrs.  Willard  from  fur 
ther  pain  which  would  come  if  we  constantly  re 
minded  her  of  her  trouble.  Instead  we're  trying 
to  take  hef  mind  off  it  all  the  time.  Get  the 
idea?" 

Here  was  a  pretty  state  of  affairs  from  my  stand 
point,  if  I  were  to  be  pledged  never  to  speak  to  Mrs. 
Willard  about  her  husband,  and  my  mind  was  in  a 
turmoil.  I  managed  to  say,  "  Yes,  I  think  so, 
but—" 

"  Wait  'til  you  hear  the  tale  I  am  about  to  un 
fold,"  broke  in  Bert.  "  It  is  in  brief,  this.  Mrs. 
Willard  was  married  a  few  weeks  ago,  as  you  know, 
but  as  you  don't  know,  she  left  her  husband  on  the 
afternoon  of  their  wedding  day,  and  now  she  is 


126 MAN  PROPOSES 

planning  to  divorce  him.  I  haven't  been  told  her 
reasons  in  detail,  but  I  do  know  that  they  absolutely 
justify  her  in  her  own  mind,  and  that's  enough 
for  me. 

"  At  first  she  was  so  hurt  and  broken  up  over  her 
trouble  and  disgrace,  that  she  was  nearly  insane  and 
her  one  and  only  thought  was  to  run  away  and  hide 
somewhere.  She  couldn't  face  the  thought  of  any 
publicity  just  then,  and  after  she  had  conferred  with 
her  attorneys  about  a  divorce  she  wrote  them  to 
hold  their  horses  for  a  while.  Moreover,  Willard 
has,  either  from  a  sense  of  decency,  or  fear  of  a 
scandal,  himself  maintained  a  complete  secrecy 
about  the  whole  affair  and  his  own  presence  in 
America, —  you  see  the  two  of  them  are  supposed  to 
be  off  for  a  honeymoon  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean. 
It's  a  darned  funny  thing  that  in  this  age  of  perni 
cious  newspaper  activity,  especially  about  the  family 
affairs  of  people  who  happen  to  be  at  all  in  the  lime 
light,  that  this  hasn't  leaked  out  somewhere,  but  it 
hasn't,  and,  so  far,  not  a  word  has  appeared  in  print 
about  it. 

"  Willard  hasn't  been  sulking  in  his  tent,  'though, 
and  has  tried  a  dozen  ways  of  getting  his  wife  to 
change  her  mind  and  return  to  the  family  fireside, 
but  nothing  doing.  Her  first  red-hot  anger  has 
cooled  off,  but  her  present  calm,  and  what  almost 
seems  like  contented,  determination  never  to  see  the 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          127 

villain  again,  makes  any  reconciliation  very  im 
probable. 

"Both  she  and  her  sister  are  staying  here  for 
a  while  claiming  sanctuary  from  mother,  who 
was  a  Virginian,  too,  and  their  mother's  most  in 
timate  girl  friend.  Their  coming  to  our  house 
was  the  result  of  another  peculiar  trick  of  fortune, 
too. 

"  Mrs.  Willard's  first  idea  on  leaving  her  husband 
was,  of  course,  to  get  to  her  sister.  She  had  come 
here  to  Newport,  directly  after  the  marriage,  with 
the  Gilmans,  at  whose  New  York  place  the  wed 
ding  took  place,  and  when  she  —  Mrs.  Willard  I 
mean  —  arrived  that  night,  almost  a  wreck,  she 
didn't  have  much  trouble  in  persuading  them  to  har 
bor  her  until  she  was  in  a  condition  to  start  for 
home.  They  had  planned  to  go  in  a  couple  of  days, 
but  the  very  morning  set  for  their  departure  fate 
butted  in  again  and  Marion  came  down  with  an 
accute  attack  of  appendicitis." 

"  Great  Scott,"  I  interrupted,  "  that  was  sort  of 
piling  Pelion  on  Ossis,  wasn't  it?  " 

"  It  was.  And,  furthermore,  just  about  that  time 
Willard  managed  to  locate  his  truant  bride  somehow 
or  other  —  sleuths  I  suppose  —  and,  in  her  nervous 
condition,  she  couldn't  bring  herself  to  face  him  or 
even  thresh  the  matter  out  with  his  attorneys.  She 
felt  that  she  simply  had  to  run  away  and  hide  again, 


128 MAN  PROPOSES 

and  what  more  natural  than  that  they  should  come  to 
us  until  they  were  able  to  travel,  or  she  got  her  nerve 
enough  to  have  it  out  with  her  husband.  Be 
tween  you  and  me,  I  think  that  she  has  now  about 
decided  to  have  the  scrap  out  and  done  with  before 
going  back  to  Virginia. 

"  Now,  you  know  the  whole  story  —  or  at  least 
as  much  of  it  as  I  do  —  and  just  why  we  happen  to 
be  harboring  a  maiden  in  distress,  or  a  runaway 
bride,  according  to  how  you  look  at  it.  Moreover, 
partly  to  help  conceal  her  identity  from  prying  eyes 
or  ears  —  in  case  Willard's  agents  are  still  on  the 
job,  you  know  —  partly  to  make  her  feel  more  natu 
ral  and  comfortable,  we  all  at  her  own  suggestion 
and  request  call  her  Miss  Lee,  and  treat  her  as  we 
always  have. 

"  The  girls  have  always  been  almost  like  members 
of  this  family.  We've  known  each  other  ever  since 
we  were  babies,  and  I've  been  stuck  on  them  both,  off 
and  on,  since  I  was  old  enough  to  have  a  cub  love, 
but,  alas !  they  were  not  for  me. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  think  it's  true  that  no 
one  except  our  family,  the  Gilmans  and  now  you, 
even  guess  that  we  are  harboring  Mrs.  Willard,  for 
the  servants  have  only  heard  us  call  and  speak  of 
her  as  *  Miss  Lee/  although  the  last  few  days  she  has 
been  going  out  somewhat,  and  apparently  is  coming 
not  to  care  whether  her  refuge  is  discovered  or  not. 


i  SCALE  A  CITADEL;      120 

But  say,  old  man,  did  you  ever  hear  a  queerer  yarn 
even  in  romantic  fiction?" 

During  this  somewhat  lengthy  recital  I  had  re 
frained  from  interrupting  except  for  my  one  in 
terpolation,  but  had  been  smoking  and  thinking 
furiously. 

Here  was  I  on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma  indeed. 
If,  as  policy  dictated,  I  continued  to  conceal  my  con 
nection  with  the  matter,  I  would  be  rankly  abusing 
Bert's  confidence  and  friendship.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  I  disclosed  my  true  purpose  in  Newport,  he, 
as  her  ardent  supporter,  would  almost  certainly  feel 
it  up  to  him  to  warn  Mrs.  Willard  of  my  presence 
and  real  character  —  upon  learning  which  she  would 
undoubtedly  leave  their  home  at  once  —  or  at  least 
put  me  on  my  honor  not  to  take  any  advantage  of 
the  hospitality  which  had  been  so  freely  extended  to 
me  by  his  family.  Any  one  of  these  alternatives 
.would  make  my  mission  fail  ipso  facto. 

So  completely  was  I  immersed  in  this  mental 
tangle  and  seeking  vainly  for  the  way  out,  that  when 
Bert  finished  his  story  and  asked  his  question,  I 
utterly  forgot  to  reply  but,  instead,  walked  to  the 
window  and  stood  there  whistling  softly. 

My  peculiar  behavior  dumbfounded  him,  and  at 
last  he  burst  out  with  some  impatience,  "  Well,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  John,  what's  the  matter  with  you, 
anyway?  Aren't  you  ever  going  to  speak?  Here 


180 MAN  PROPOSES 

I've  been  spending  my  time,  brain  and  breath  in 
telling  you  what  is  supposed  to  be  a  most  remark 
able  tale,  and  you  walk  off  whistling  as  uncon 
cernedly  as  though  I'd  remarked  that  it  was  a  lovely 
day.  You  are  a  queer  one." 

Suddenly  making  up  my  mind,  I  wheeled  about, 
and  replied,  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  old  fellow,  but 
your  story  completely  floored  me,  under  the  circum 
stances." 

"  What  circumstances  ? "  he  interrupted,  but  I 
continued,  "  It  is  a  peculiar  story  and  situation,  of 
course,  but  I'm  going  to  tell  you  a  tale,  to  my  mind 
one  step  more  remarkable,  and,  if  you  will,  I  want 
you  to  hear  me  through  without  comment.  I  won't 
attempt  to  pledge  you  to  secrecy  or  even  to  regard  it 
as  a  confidence  —  that  would  hardly  be  fair  under 
present  conditions  —  but,  when  I  get  through,  I 
want  you  to  do  some  tall  thinking  and  tell  me  frankly 
just  where  I  am  to  stand  and  what  the  next  act  in 
this  problem  play  is  to  be,  for  it's  apparently  up  to 
you." 

"  To  me?     I  don't  follow  you  at  all,  John." 

"  I  don't  wonder,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  your 
story,  except  for  some  minor  details,  was  no  news 
to  me,"  and  thereupon  I  proceeded  to  begin  at  the 
beginning  and  tell  him  fully  all  I  had  heard  about 
this  peculiar  case,  and  my  own  connection  with  it, 
nothing  extenuating.  I  did,  to  be  sure,  set  out  as 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          131 

forcefully  as  I  possibly  could  Mr.  Willard's  version 
of  the  starting  point  for  the  whole  unhappy  affair, 
and  tried  to  make  it  clear  that  in  undertaking  my 
mission  I  had  believed,  and  still  did  believe  abso 
lutely,  in  his  honor  and  veracity.  Incidentally,  too, 
I  painted  in  glowing  colors  the  deserted  husband's 
great  distress  and  grief,  and  his  indubitable  love  and 
repentance. 

When  I  had  concluded,  it  was  Bert's  turn  to 
whistle,  and  his  astonishment  over  my  disclosures 
and  the  peculiar  twists  of  fate  which  had  brought 
the  circles  of  my  life  and  Mrs.  Willard's  tangent  at 
his  home,  was  adequately  expressed  by  the  simple 
sentence,  "  Well,  I'll  be  damned!  " 

After  a  moment's  silence  he  said,  "  Your  problem 
is  altogether  too  big  for  my  feeble  intellect  to  hope 
to  solve,  John.  I  admit  it,  and  you've  gone  and  put 
me  in  a  mighty  embarrassing  position  as  well.  I'm 
between  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea,  and  you  may 
guess  which  is  which.  I  owe  a  duty  to  Mrs.  Wil- 
lard  as  a  refugee  with  whom  I  sympathize  heartily, 
but  now  having  had  your  confidence  so  unreservedly, 
I  owe  a  similar  one  to  you.  Frankly,  I  don't  know 
where  I  stand. 

"  I'll  admit  that  your  errand  is  in  itself  harmless 
enough,  and,  looked  at  from  your  point  of  view, 
beneficent.  Just  the  same,  I'm  not  keen  about  the 
methods  you  are  using  in  accomplishing  your  result, 


132 MAN  PROPOSES 

although  I  understand  well  enough  that  they  seem 
to  be  the  only  ones  left.  You  understand  that  I 
wouldn't  speak  of  this  if  you  hadn't  done  so  your 
self." 

He  paused,  deep  in  perplexed  thought,  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  long  legs  stretched  out.  There  was 
nothing  I  could  say  further  to  help  him.  Finally  he 
rose  with  an  energy  which  bespoke  a  decision  and 
said,  "  I'll  tell  you  what  I  purpose  to  do,  if  I  have 
your  permission.  I'm  going  to  tell  your  whole  story 
to  Mother  and  Ethel.  Honestly,  I  want  to  shirk 
the  responsibility  of  making  a  decision  unaided  in  a 
matter  upon  which  so  much  depends,  and  between 
you  and  me  and  the  lamp  post,  my  guess  is  that  they 
will  say,  '  Go  ahead.'  Although  they  both  love  her 
dearly,  neither  has  sworn  unchanging  allegiance  to 
her  cause  as  I  have,  for  both  mother  and  sister  still 
cling  to  the  old-fashioned  ideas  about  divorce,  and 
a  woman's  duty  to  her  lord  and  master,  and  both 
have  tried,  and  tried  vainly,  time  and  again,  to  get 
her  to  change  her  attitude. 

"  But  believe  me,  if  I  were  not  sure  that  in 
whatever  you  may  do  you  will  be  nothing  but  a 
gentleman  and  play  the  game  on  the  level,  I 
wouldn't  give  you  even  this  chance,  John.  Do  you 
agree?" 

"Of  course  I  do  —  I  don't  mean  to  your  remarks 
about  the  '  gentleman  ' —  for  I'm  beginning  to  have 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          133 

serious  doubts  on  that  point  lately  —  but  to  your 
proposal,"  I  answered. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  when  I  met  Miss  Lee 
this  morning  under  such  unusual  circumstances,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  fate  was  verily  opening  the  way  to 
the  speedy  accomplishment  of  my  mission.  Such 
an  introduction,  I  thought,  would  certainly  make  it 
easy  for  me  to  gain  the  friendship  of  Mrs.  Willard 
—  or  Miss  Lee  as  you  want  me  to  call  her  —  and 
even  after  I  knew  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  that 
it  was  at  your  house  she  was  staying,  it  didn't  occur 
to  me  to  change  my  plan  of  campaign  in  the  slight 
est,  or  take  you  into  my  confidence.  You  see,  I  am 
laying  all  my  cards  on  the  table. 

"  I  may  even  add  that  the  enquiry  after  little  Janet 
was  in  the  main  merely  an  excuse  to  get  in  here  and 
meet  Mrs.  Willard  —  so,  you  see,  there's  not  much 
of  the  saint  about  me  after  all.  Of  course,  your 
confidences  made  necessary  a  change  in  my  plans. 
It  goes  without  saying,  Bert,  that  I  hope  and  pray 
that  your  guess  as  to  what  your  mother's  and  sister's 
attitude  toward  my  mission  is  likely  to  be,  is  an  ac 
curate  one." 

It  seemed  to  me  that  during  this  confession  Bert 
was  regarding  me  with  a  peculiar  expression  on  his 
countenance.  When  I  had  finished  he  started  to 
speak,  hesitated,  then  said,  "  Well,  if  my  assumption 
is  right,  don't  forget  that  from  now  on  my  position 


184 MAN  PROPOSES 

is  one  of  strict  neutrality.  Your  confidences  have 
tied  my  hands,  too.  I  can't  remain  an  active  ally  of 
Mrs.  Willard  now,  but  neither  can  I  wish  you  luck, 
knowing  the  way  she  feels  and  sympathizing  with 
her." 

"  That's  understood.  All  I  want  is  a  fair  field 
and  no  favor,"  I  replied  heartily. 

"If  the  mater  says  the  word,  you'll  get  it.  But 
there's  another  thing  I  want  to  throw  out  a  friendly 
warning  about.  Cave  fcminam!  You'll  be  play 
ing  with  fire,  don't  forget  that.  Both  the  girls  are 
beautiful,  fascinating  —  and  Southerners.  Don't  let 
any  siren  voices  lure  you  from  the  straight  and 
narrow." 

I  attempted  to  make  a  light  answer,  but  it  didn't 
ring  true,  and  he  added,  "Of  course,  there  is  no  need 
of  warning  you  against  the  converse.  You're  not 
the  kind  of  a  chap  to  trifle  with  a  girl's  affections 
for  the  purpose  of  making  capital  out  of  the  trust 
you  win.  To  be  concrete,  I  know  that  you  would 
not  make  love  to  Miss  to  gain  a  hold  on  Mrs. 
There's  my  golden  opportunity  this  minute,"  and, 
without  waiting  for  me  to  answer,  he  indicated  the 
summer  house  where  Ethel  was  just  joining  her 
mother,  and  started  for  the  door,  calling  back  over 
his  shoulder,  "  You  stay  here  and  finish  your  elab 
orate  toilet  while  I  go  and  find  out  what  the  powers- 
that-be  are  to  decree," 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL          135 

Out  of  the  turmoil  that  had  been  left  in  my  mind 
by  his  remarks  and  hasty  departure,  one  sentence 
stood  out  boldly  and  insistently,  "  You're  playing 
with  fire." 

This  was  the  second  warning  of  that  same  nature 
in  one  day.  First  Mr.  Hammond,  now  Bert,  had 
felt  it  incumbent  upon  themselves  to  warn  me 
against  the  possibility  of  falling  in  love  with  Miss 
Lee.  The  advice  was  sound,  no  doubt,  but  why 
everybody  should  think  that  I  needed  it  particularly 
was  beyond  my  comprehension. 

The  more  I  puzzled  over  it  the  more  wrought-up 
I  became,  and  by  the  time  Bert  returned  from  his 
interview  I  had  worked  myself  into  serious  mental 
agitation. 

He  closed  the  door  and  looked  at  me  quizzically. 
The  fate  of  my  enterprise  veritably  hung  in  the 
balance.  Had  the  Goddess  of  Fortune  been  smiling 
or  frowning  upon  my  task  ? 

I  was  not  left  long  in  doubt,  for  Bert  said,  "  You 
win,  as  I  knew  you  would.  Woifc\)ntike,  both 
mother  and  Ethel  went  into  raptures  ovl>your  ro 
mantic  mission  and  fell  for  it  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  just  as  I  expected.  Mother  was  for  do 
ing  everything  possible  to  bring  your  enterprise  to  a 
climax  in  a  hurry,  but  Ethel  had  sense  enough  to 
realize  that  if  they  were  too  officious  in  their  aiding 
and  abetting,  they  might  gum  up  the  whole  thing. 


136 MAN  PROPOSES 

But  you  can  count  on  their  moral  support,  for  they 
are  both  crazy  for  a  happy  reunion,  tears,  forgive 
nesses,  another  honeymoon  and  all  that  sort  of 
stuff." 

'  That's  more  luck  than  I  deserve,"  I  broke  in. 
"  It  is.  You  can't  get  up  an  argument  on  that 
point,"  he  responded  frankly.  "  The  plan  they've 
cooked  up  to  salve  their  own  consciences  for  this 
partial  breach  of  trust  towards  their  refugee  is 
something  like  this.  Since  you  knew  the  whole 
story  before  coming  here,  they  think  that  their  con 
sciences  are  clear,  and  they're  guilty  at  the  most  only 
of  a  white  sin  of  omission  in  not  forthwith  disclos 
ing  your  real  identity  to  Mrs.  Willard.  They  are, 
however,  going  to  tell  her  that  since  you  are  likely 
to  be  hanging  around  here  for  some  time  like  one 
of  the  family,  they  have  thought  it  wise  to  tell 
you  something  of  the  true  situation  and  that 
you  have  promised  to  play  the  same  game  we 
are  playing,  overlook  the  fact  that  she  is  a  curiosity, 
and  forget  that  things  aren't  always  what  they 
seem." 

I  drew  a  deep  breath  of  relief  and  thankfulness, 
immediately  regarding  myself  once  more  as  the 
chosen  instrument  of  fate  for  the  accomplishment 
of  the  task  in  undertaking.  Verily,  whom  the  Gods 
destroy  they  first  make  mad! 

"  Get  a  move  on  you,  John,"  said  my  companion, 


I  SCALE  A  CITADEL 


137 


evidently  glad  to  get  the  whole  complicated  matter 
off  his  mind.  "  It's  after  five  now,  and  if  you  don't 
hurry  I  won't  have  time  to  beat  you  even  one  set  be 
fore  dinner." 


CHAPTER  XI 

IN    WHICH   THE   SIEGE  IS   COMMENCED 

"  MARGARET,  permit  me  to  present,  '  our  hero,' 
John  Alden  Shaw,  a  class-mate  of  mine  at  Harvard. 
John,  Miss  Lee." 

Commonplace  words  enough,  but  to  me  full  of 
deep  significance  and  great  possibilities.  While  my 
lips  were  forming  the  stereotyped  phrase,  "  I  am  in 
deed  pleased  to  have  this  honor,  Miss  Lee,"  my 
mind  was  exulting,  "  My  quest  is  ended,  I  have 
found  her,  Mrs.  Willard  is  before  me." 

Mrs.  Willard,  as  I  still  named  her  in  my  mind, 
although  the  others  chose  to  speak  of  her  as  Miss 
Lee,  extended  her  hand  in  friendly  greeting,  and 
murmured  some  words  which  I  understood  in  a  gen 
eral  way  to  be  praise  for  my  morning's  exploit  and 
pleasure  upon  meeting  the  rescuer,  'though  I  scarcely 
heard  them,  so  intently  were  my  thoughts  bent  upon 
this  meeting  fraught  with  such  deep  meaning  for  us 
both. 

Bert  and  I  had  played  our  match,  and  just  de 
scended  after  dressing  for  dinner.  To  my  inor 
dinate  joy  my  strokes  had  been  going  much  better, 

138 


THE  SIEGE  IS  COMMENCED     130 

and  I  had  fairly  swamped  my  host  on  the  court  and 
I  had  gloated  so  over  my  victory  that  his  disgust  was 
ludicrous  and  he  had  refused  to  continue,  although 
I  was  still  eager  for  more. 

During  the  afternoon  neither  of  the  sisters  had 
been  in  evidence,  to  my  keen  disappointment,  for, 
manlike,  I  would  have  enjoyed  a  witness  to  my 
prowess,  but  Ethel  reported  that  Margaret  was 
resting  and  her  sister  keeping  to  her  room  for  the 
purpose  of  writing  letters. 

We  had  found  the  former  seated  in  a  reclining 
chair  upon  one  of  the  broad  verandas  within  the 
checkered  shadows  cast  by  a  thick  tracery  of  vines 
which  interposed  between  her  and  the  sunset  glow, 
for  the  sun  was  just  disappearing,  making  its  tri 
umphal  departure  in  a  magnificent  flood  of  irides 
cent  glory,  the  whole  western  sky  being  brilliantly 
aflame  with  color.  Such  a  scene  depicted  by  the 
brush  of  a  mere  mortal  artist  would  have  been  char 
acterized  as  absurd,  impossible.  The  shimmering 
rose  which  predominated  in  the  bold  color  scheme 
—  an  intermingling  of  that  tint  with  purple,  pale 
green,  gold  and  streaks  of  angry  red  —  cast  its  warm 
glow  over  heaven  and  earth  alike,  bathing  the  fields 
and  trees  in  its  refulgence  and  lending  a  lovely  flush 
to  the  invalid's  cheeks,  in  themselves  as  white  as 
pure  alabaster. 

Her  wonderful  hair,  coiled  on  top  of  her  shapely 


140 MAN  PROPOSES 

head  like  a  crown,  was  the  counterpart  of  Marion's, 
and  her  eyes  the  same  indescribable  brown  and  gold. 
At  this  moment  they  looked  in  contrast  to  her  pale 
face,  even  more  lustrous  and  larger  than  her  sis 
ter's,  and  her  mouth,  'though  similar  in  shape,  I 
thought  more  serious  in  its  expression  and  lacking 
in  that  irresistible  tendency  to  curve  momentarily 
into  the  suggestion  of  a  smile,  which  I  in  a  short 
space  of  time,  had  learned  to  recognize  as  a  marked 
characteristic  of  my  champion  at  the  mud  hole. 

Less  impetuous  and  fun-loving,  more  serious  and 
mature  than  Marion,  I  thought,  as  I  studied  her  ex 
pression  while  we  conversed,  but  aside  from  this  and 
the  imprint  left  upon  her  lovely  countenance  by  her 
recent  trouble  and  illness,  as  much  like  her  as  though 
the  two  had  been  stamped  by  the  self -same  dye,  and 
certainly  no  older  in  appearance. 

No  wonder  Willard  had  loved  her  madly.  But 
how  could  any  man  abuse  ever  so  slightly  such  a 
girl  as  this?  It  was  inconceivable,  or  else  he  must 
indeed  have  been  utterly  irresponsible  through 
drink. 

Scarcely  had  I  spoken  a  dozen  words  to  Mrs. 
Willard,  as  I  could  not  but  continue  to  think  of  her 
still,  when  her  sister  appeared. 

As  I  caught  sight  of  her  standing  in  the  tall 
Venetian  window  which  served  as  a  door  for  the 
side  veranda,  in  her  turn  suffused  with  the  heavenly 


THE  SIEGE  IS  COMMENCED      141 

light,  my  heart  gave  a  mad  leap,  and  straightway  the 
impression  of  the  other's  beauty  was  banished  from 
my  mind.  So  the  calm  and  lovely  moon  pales  into 
insignificance  when  the  dazzling  sun  appears. 

Marion  was  now  clad  in  a  modest  evening  gown 
of  filmy  black  without  ornament  or  jewelry  of  any 
nature,  the  only  bit  of  color  about  her  being  fur 
nished  by  her  hair  and  eyes,  and  the  healthy  glow  of 
youth  upon  her  cheeks.  Her  hair  was  again  done 
low  at  the  back  of  her  neck  in  the  girlish  fashion 
which  had  proved  so  alluring  to  me  before. 

A  flicker  of  a  smile  passed  over  her  lips  as  she 
extended  her  hand,  saying,  "  Can  this  convention 
ally  clad  creature  be  my  Mr.  Shaw  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  doubt  it,"  I  replied. 
"  When  you  last  saw  me  I  must  have  been  a  picture 
no  artist  could  paint." 

"  Certainly  one  no  artist  would  want  to  paint," 
broke  in  Bert. 

"  Whenever  I  hear  the  word  HERO  hereafter  — 
for  *  sister '  here,  still  persisting  in  the  absurd  idea 
that  you  qualified  for  that  honor  this  morning  —  my 
mind  will  conjure  up  the  vision  of  a  water-soaked, 
mud-beplastered  individual  with  dank  hair  falling 
over  his  eyes,  and  a  most  sheepish  expression  on  his 
slimy  countenance,"  and  he  burst  into  a  loud  haw 
haw  over  his  own  mental  picture,  the  rest  of  us  join 
ing  him,  save  one  whose  eyes  flashed  angrily  and 


142  MAN  PROPOSES 

who  said,  "  Bert  Aldrich,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourself  making  fun  of  Mr.  Shaw  like  that." 

"  Ashamed  ? "  he  replied,  doubled  with  mirth. 
"  Oh,  Lord,  I  should  say  I  am  —  but  I'd  rather  be 
ashamed  than  stop  laughing.  You  see,  the  fact  is, 
that  all  this  laughter  is  merely  a  mask  to  hide  my 
real  feelings.  In  my  wrought-up  condition  if  I 
didn't  laugh  I  should  certainly  burst  into  tears  and 
fall  on  John's  neck,  and  that  might  establish  a 
dangerous  precedent,  for  Ethel  would  undoubtedly 
follow  suit,  and  you  —  well,  you  know  how  hys 
terically  hero-worshipers  are  apt  to  act." 

At  this  gibe  Marion  blushed  a  rosy  red  and 
hastened  to  change  the  topic  of  conversation  to  the 
apparently  harmless  subject  of  the  sunset,  but  Bert 
—  ever  an  awful  tease  —  would  not  let  her  alone 
and  hastened  to  add,  "  Yes,  isn't  it  lovely,  and  its 
reflection  on  your  cheeks  is  most  becoming  too,  *  sis 
ter.'  " 

"  Bert,  stop  teasing  her  immediately.  And  you 
know  that  she  doesn't  like  to  have  you  call  her  *  sis 
ter,'  "  said  Ethel. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  most  surprised  and  in 
nocent  tone.  "  I'm  sure  that  she  has  given  me  that 
right  by  saying  she'd  be  a  sister  to  me  times  enough, 
alas.  Beware  these  Southern  girls,  John.  Their 
chief  aim  and  occupation  in  life  seems  to  be  that 
of  enticing  poor  deluded  male  creatures  into  their 


nets,  and  then  watching  with  fiendish  glee  while  they 
beat  out  their  little  lives  in  a  vain  effort  to  escape." 
This  he  said  in  a  jesting  tone,  but  the  look  he  gave 
me  carried  no  merriment. 

I  gave  an  embarrassed  laugh  and  replied,  "  I  ut 
terly  refuse  to  believe  any  such  calumny  on  Miss 
Lee." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Shaw.  Your  chief  aim  and 
occupation  in  life  just  at  present  at  least,  seems  to 
be  coming  to  the  rescue  of  maidens  in  distress. 
This  morning  you  saved  little  Janie,  and  now  me, 
from  the  mire,"  responded  the  object  of  his  slander 
ous  remark. 

"  Don't  pay  any  attention  to  Bert's  ravings,  Mr. 
Shaw,"  interpolated  his  sister  Ethel.  "If  God  chose 
to  make  Southern  girls  especially  attractive  to  men, 
it's  not  their  fault,  and  I'm  sure  Marion  never  gave 
Bert  any  encouragement,  yet  the  fact  is  perfectly 
obvious  that  he  is  horribly  jealous." 

"  Aha !  my  great  secret  is  discovered  at  last,"  he 
returned  with  mock  chagrin.  "  I  admit  the  allega 
tion,  but,  nevertheless,  Marion,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
warn  you  not  to  flatter  him  too  much.  If  you  keep 
on  as  you  have  begun,  John  will  become  as  *  stuck 
up,'  metaphorically  speaking,  as  he  was  actually, 
after  the  first  mentioned  rescue." 

"  Albert  Aldrich,  what  on  earth  is  the  matter  with 
you  to-day?"  again  broke  in  Ethel.  "I  declare  I 


144 MAN  PROPOSES 

never  heard  you  so  downright  nasty  before;  you're 
as  catty  as  a  woman." 

"  Heaven  forbid !  "  he  replied,  but  I,  who  knew  as 
the  others  did  not  the  hidden  meaning  which  lay  be 
hind  his  remarks,  agreed  with  Ethel,  for  Bert  was 
ordinarily  the  mildest  and  most  easy-going  in 
dividual  imaginable. 

"  One  good  turn  deserves  another,"  said  Marion 
accepting  his  challenge,  "  and  I  don't  intend  to  be 
influenced  by  any  such  slanderous  statement.  To 
prove  that  I  don't  place  any  credit  in  a  word  he  has 
said,  Mr.  Shaw,  I'm  going  to  thrust  upon  you  the 
honor  of  an  invitation  to  ride  with  me  some  morn 
ing,  which  means  that  if  you  care  to  accept  I  will 
share  with  you  my  greatest  pleasure,  and  it  isn't 
everybody  I  would  ask  to  accompany  me." 

"  Huh,  I  don't  see  that  that's  such  an  honor. 
You've  asked  me,"  said  Bert.  "  Besides,  John,  it 
means  getting  up  at  the  ungodly  hour  of  six  A.  M." 

"  I  accept  with  the  anticipation  of  much  pleas 
ure —  that  is,  if  I  can  get  hold  of  a  kind,  gentle 
horse  with  a  speed  limit  of  ten  miles  an  hour." 

"  Oh,  I  can  arrange  that  for  you,  you  can  ride 
Bert's;  he  just  fills  the  bill." 

"  What's  the  use  of  trying  to  engage  in  a  battle 
of  repartee  with  a  girl  like  that,"  Bert  responded. 
"  However,  the  steed  is  yours,  and  I  hope  that  he 
throws  you.  Moreover,  I  wish  you  joy  of  your 


THE  SIEGE  IS  COMMENCED     145 

bargain.  Getting  up  at  six  o'clock  isn't  my  idea  of 
a  hilarious  time." 

"  You  can't  frighten  me  a  little  bit.  Fortunately, 
I'm  not  one  of  your  effete  New  Yorkers  who  would 
have  to  be  introduced  to  a  sunrise." 

"  Bet  I  have  seen  more  sunrises  than  you,  you 
New  England  preacher,  for  all  your  national  motto 
of  '  early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise.' ' 

"  Maybe  so,  but  I  meant  as  the  prologue  to  the 
day,  not  the  final  act  in  an  all  night  performance, 
young  man.  Furthermore,  I  assent  most  heartily 
to  the  proposition  that  the  early  morning  hours 
really  are  the  best  of  the  whole  day,  and  I'd  agree 
with  equal  pleasure  if  Miss  Lee  had  made  it  four- 
thirty.  They  say  the  sunrise  from  the  cliffs  is 
wonderful." 

"  Hopeless,"  groaned  Bert. 

"  Splendid ! "  Marion  cried  enthusiastically. 
"  Here  is  a  man  after  my  own  heart.  I've  been 
simply  crazy  to  do  that  very  thing  for  days,  but  I 
didn't  dare  suggest  going  without  an  escort,  and 
Bert  would  rather  take  a  good  licking  than  get  up 
before  eight.  Are  you  really  in  earnest,  Mr. 
Shaw?" 

"  Never  more  so." 

"  Good,  we'll  do  it  then.  To-morrow,  if  it's 
pleasant?  " 

I  assented  with  alacrity,  from  a  mixture  of  mo- 


146 MAN  PROPOSES 

tives.  Aside  from  the  pleasure  inherent  in  such  an 
adventure  in  company  with  a  beautiful  and  fascinat 
ing  girl  was  the  fact  that  such  a  ride  would  give  me 
a  wonderful  opportunity  for  further  cementing  our 
growing  friendship  and  thus  indirectly  help  me 
toward  my  goal  —  a  similar  footing  of  intimacy 
with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Willard. 

Bert  glared  at  me  with  frank  disapproval,  and 
Miss  Margaret,  as  I  was  beginning  like  the  others 
to  think  of  the  sister,  interposed  several  conven 
tional  objections,  over  which  my  champion  rode 
rough  shod  and  laughing. 

And  so  it  was  arranged,  and  it  had  come  about 
that  despite  Bert's  over-zealous  efforts  to  save  me 
from  danger,  real  or  imaginary,  my  chance  acquaint 
ance  with  Miss  Lee  was  ripening  into  intimacy  with 
the  speed  of  an  express  train. 

Further  conversation  was  here  forestalled  by  the 
arrival  of  the  old  colored  butler  to  announce  dinner, 
and  Ethel  Aldrich  assigned  me  as  escort  and  dinner 
companion  to  Miss  Margaret. 

The  meal  which  ensued  was  as  different  from  the 
dinner  I  had  attended  the  evening  previous,  as  day 
is  from  night.  Marked  simplicity  and  an  atmos 
phere  of  homelike  happiness  was  its  distinguishing 
feature.  Cocktails  and  highballs  there  were  none, 
the  only  drink  being  a  little  mild  and  fragrant 
sherry.  Instead  of  supercilious  English  butlers, 


THE  SIEGE  IS  COMMENCED     147 

there  were  an  aged  colored  man  and  a  trim  maid  of 
the  same  race,  who  served  the  viands  with  an  air  of 
having  a  personal  interest  in  supplying  our  every 
want, —  the  former  frequently  even  with  terms  of 
endearment  for  the  ladies  —  urging  us  to  try  just  a 
little  more  of  this  or  that. 

The  table  was  large,  which  made  difficult  any 
discussion  or  the  bandying  of  words  and  ideas  back 
and  forth,  and  the  little  general  conversation  was 
quiet  and  on  a  high  plane.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aldrich, 
both  of  whom  were  getting  a  little  hard  of  hearing, 
sat  side  by  side,  Bert  was  placed  between  his  real 
and  his  adopted  sister  and  I  had  Miss  Margaret 
practically  to  myself.  Although  now  fast  con 
valescing,  she  was  still  regarded  as  an  invalid,  and 
treated  by  all  the  family  with  a  loving  solicitude 
which  indicated  not  only  sympathy  but  a  deep  affec 
tion  as  well,  and  before  I  had  talked  with  her  ten 
minutes  I  knew  the  reason  for  their  attitude. 

During  that  meal  there  began  to  unfold  before  my 
mental  vision  one  of  the  most  lovely  and  lovable 
natures  it  has  ever  been  my  privilege  to  know,  and 
each  new  day  was  to  disclose  new  virtues  to  me. 

Her  character  was  obviously  firm  enough.  I 
knew  that  this  must  be  the  case  to  have  enabled  her 
to  take  the  step  she  had  taken;  she  was  high-spir 
ited  too  —  though  not  as  impetuous  as  her  sister  — 
but  her  soul  was  so  sweet  and  pure  that  her  very 


148  MAN  PROPOSES 

presence  shed  an  influence  of  calm  happiness  around 
her.  Indeed  the  two  sisters,  so  much  alike  as  to 
appearance,  were  wonderfully  similar  in  nature  as 
well,  although  the  characteristics  of  each  were 
more  marked  in  different  directions. 

Marion  was  the  more  vivacious  and  fascinating, 
Margaret  the  quieter  and  more  inspiring  of  con 
fidences,  and,  unconsciously,  I  found  myself  telling 
her  my  whole  life  history  —  down  to  the  time  I  be 
came  associated  with  Thomas,  Richard  and  Henry, 
that  is  —  and  opening  my  heart  as  to  many  of  my 
aims  and  ideals,  as  a  man  sometimes  does  to  his 
mother  or  a  much  older  friend  and  sometimes, 
though  more  rarely,  to  a  sister. 

So  completely  did  I  fall  under  the  spell  of  her 
friendly  charm  that  when  there  suddenly  came  to 
my  mind  the  unbidden  thought  of  how  rapidly  I  was 
attaining  to  the  plane  of  intimate  friendship  which 
I  had  planned  in  cold  blood  to  achieve,  I  found  it 
most  distasteful.  Margaret  Lee  was  an  object  to  be 
desired  as  a  comrade  for  herself,  not  from  any 
materialistic  reasons,  such  as  those  which  actuated 
my  mission. 

And  yet  I  knew  that  my  growing  feeling  for  her 
was  one  of  pure  friendship  only.  My  heart  was 
warmed  by  her  presence,  but  not  thrilled,  whereas 
whenever  I  glanced  across  the  table  and  caught 
Marion's  expressive  eyes,  now  alluring,  now  flash- 


THE  SIEGE  IS  COMMENCED     149 

ing,  now  filled  sparkling  with  merriment,  it  started 
thumping  anew  without  rime  or  reason. 

Nor  was  I  the  only  giver  of  confidences  during 
dinner.  My  companion  must  have  found  some  an 
swering  chord  in  my  make-up,  for  she  spoke  simply 
but  freely  of  her  Virginia  home,  her  family  and  re 
cent  bereavements,  but  as  I  had  avoided  mention  of 
my  particular  mission,  so  she  refrained  from  once 
speaking  Roland  Willard's  name. 

I  had  steered  our  conversation  by  some  rather 
adroit  questions  —  using  the  name  of  my  Peters 
burg  correspondent  as  a  rudder  —  to  their  home 
plantation  and  that  neighborhood,  and  was  soon  in 
possession  of  several  new  facts  about  that  territory 
and  the  operations  of  the  lumber  company  which 
had  been  trying  so  desperately  to  purchase  part  of 
their  possessions,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  slip 
ping  in  a  disguised  warning  against  that  corporation 
and  the  suggestion  that  they  tell  the  whole  matter  to 
their  family  lawyer  and  thereafter  act  only  upon  his 
advice. 

Altogether  the  meal  was  to  me  a  most  delightful 
one,  and  when  the  signal  to  rise  and  repair  to  the 
drawing-room  for  coffee  was  given,  I  breathed  a 
sigh  of  regret. 


CHAPTER  XII 

IN   WHICH    I   LOSE   MY    HEAD   AND   HEART 

A  FLOOD  of  golden  moonlight  half  illuminated  the 
room,  casting  a  spell  of  enchantment  over  the 
familiar  objects,  and  as  we  entered,  Ethel  cried, 
"  Oh,  let's  sit  without  the  lights  for  a  while  and  have 
Marion  play.  It  would  be  a  sacrilege  to  banish  this 
fairy  illumination  with  modern  electricity." 

I  thought  and  said  so,  too,  and  Marion  straight 
way  went  to  the  piano  without  needing  to  be  urged 
as  do  so  many  artists;  a  fact  which  takes  half  the 
enjoyment  away  from  their  playing. 

She  sat  for  a  moment  with  her  hands  resting 
quietly  on  the  keys  and  her  gaze  out  of  the  win 
dow,  and  then  began  to  draw  from  the  very  heart  of 
the  instrument  that  immortal,  soulful  melody, 
Beethoven's  "  Moonlight  Sonata." 

The  pale  radiance  from  the  low  hanging  orb  fell 
full  upon  her  and  as  I  stood  motionless  by  the  piano 
forte,  scarcely  feeling  myself  breathe,  my  eyes  fixed 
immovably  upon  her  lovely  face,  I  knew  of  a  sudden 
and  with  a  deep  sense  of  awe,  that  there  was  no 
other  mate  in  the  wide  world  for  me, 

150 


So  intent  was  my  gaze,  which  must  have  come 
more  from  my  soul  than  from  my  eyes,  that  when 
she  finished,  she  turned  slowly  toward  me  as  though 
her  will  were  drawn  to  mine  as  a  needle  to  a  mag 
netic  pole,  and  without  lowering  her  own  eyes  she 
looked  up  into  mine  for  a  brief  moment  which, 
nevertheless,  seemed  to  hold  all  the  meaning  of  eter 
nity  for  me. 

Then  Bert  moved  restlessly.  Her  eyes  dropped, 
and  a  warm  flush  overspread  her  face  and  neck,  a 
flush  which  even  the  cold  moonlight  could  not  dis 
guise. 

I  do  not  know  whether  any  of  the  others  in  the 
room  felt  that  strange  telepathic  message,  but  I 
suspect  that  Bert  did,  for  he  broke  the  spell  almost 
immediately  by  jumping  up  quickly,  and  switched 
on  the  lights,  saying  with  forced  lightness,  "  It's 
darned  lucky  for  Paderewski  that  he  didn't  hear 
you  then,  '  sister ' ;  he  would  have  been  green  with 
jealousy.  'Twould  be  altogether  too  bad  if  the 
heart  of  that  great  artist,  who  has  tried  so  hard 
to  cling  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  these  many  years, 
were  broken  by  the  hopeless  despair  of  ever  equal 
ing  your  inspired  touch.  And,  speaking  of  '  touch,' 
John,  my  own  heart  was  pitifully  touched  at  wit 
nessing  your  expression  of  pained  bewilderment 
over  the  intricacies  of  that  composition. 

"  You  must  know  that  John's  musical  education," 


152 MAN  PROPOSES 

he  said,  turning  to  the  others,  "  came  to  an  abrupt 
stop  when  it  was  in  a  '  Pinafore.'  This  is  more 
suitable  to  his  appreciation.  Move  over,  '  sister,' ' 
and,  sliding  into  her  place  on  the  bench,  he  began 
to  rattle  off  the  song  from  that  ever  favorite  Gil 
bert  and  Sullivan  opera,  which  runs,  "  He  loves, 
and  loves,  alas,  above  his  station,"  putting  so  much 
stress  upon  the  repeat,  "  Ah,  yes,  the  lass  is  much 
above  his  station,"  that  the  implication  seemed  to  me 
pointed  almost  to  an  insult. 

I  managed  to  join  in  the  laugh  which  followed, 
but  at  the  same  time  felt  myself  grow  hot  and  cold 
by  turns,  and  I  received  the  impression  that  some 
of  the  rest  laughed  without  the  convincing  ring. 
Furthermore,  a  covert  glance  around  showed  me 
that  Ethel's  look  was  reproachful,  Margaret'e  trou 
bled,  and  Marion's  eyes  were  flashing  ominous!}'. 

What  mad  impulse  drove  me  to  pick  up  the  gaunt 
let  I  do  not  know,  for  I  had  always  been  extremely 
reticent  about  displaying  my  abilities  as  a  musi 
cian  before  strangers,  but  the  plain  fact  remains 
that  I  answered  curtly,  "  Bert  underestimates  my 
musical  appreciation,  Miss  Lee.  I  understood! 
Indeed,  my  intimates  have  frequently  told  me  that 
my  taste  in  music  far  outstrips  my  poor  ability  to 
follow,  and  with  all  due  respect  to  Messrs.  Gilbert 
and  Sullivan,  their  light  melodies  do  not  satisfy  my 
soul  —  to-night.  Some  such  composition  as  this 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART   153 

has  a  stronger  appeal  to  me,"  and,  without  waiting 
for  even  the  suggestion  of  an  invitation,  I  strode  to 
the  pianoforte,  and,  displacing  Bert,  began  Chad- 
wick's  masterly  arrangement  of  the  "  Bedouin  Love 
Song,"  with  a  fiery  intensity  which  surprised  even 
myself. 

I  had  been  told  more  than  once  half  in  jest,  that 
I  had  missed  my  vocation  and  that  I  possessed  a 
voice  which  might  have  marked  me  for  a  singer 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability  had  I  gone  into  music 
seriously,  but  never,  before  nor  since,  have  I  sung 
as  I  sang  then,  with  a  warmth  of  tone  and  feeling 
which  did  not  seem  to  be  my  own.  For  the  mo 
ment  I  must  have  been  touched  with  a  divine  in 
spiration,  and  the  words,  "  I  love  thee,  I  love  but 
thee,  with  a  love  that  shall  not  die,"  rang  out  with  a 
passion  which  shook  my  very  soul. 

When  I  ended  no  one  spoke  for  a  moment,  and 
the  air  was  charged  as  with  an  electric  current. 

Then  Marion's  low  voice  broke  the  silence. 
"  Thank  you."  Her  quiet,  well-controlled  tone  and 
frank  look  removed  this  perhaps  ambiguous  phrase 
to  the  commonplace. 

Instantly  came  the  mental  reaction,  and  I  found 
myself  thinking,  "  What  an  absurd  young  fool  you 
are,  John  Shaw,  thus  to  wear  your  heart  upon 
your  sleeve  for  daws  to  peck  at,  or  to  imagine  for 
an  instant  that  even  if  'Miss  Lee  should  read  the 


154 MAN  PROPOSES 

hidden  message  in  my  song,  such  a  melodramatic 
exhibition  could  appeal  to  her."  It  was  the  height 
of  mad  presumption.  I  had  known  her,  even  as  a 
mere  acquaintance,  only  a  few  short  hours.  I  felt 
myself  growing  hot  again,  this  time  with  embar 
rassment. 

Bert  came  to  my  rescue  while  at  the  same  time 
continuing  his  ragging  of  me,  by  saying,  "  Won 
derful.  You  sing  with  a  pathos  which  can  only 
come  as  the  result  of  long  practice.  How  many 
girls  have  you  sung  that  to  with  such  feeling, 
since  that  little  Spanish  Sefiorita  at  Cambridge, 
John?" 

His  gibe  carried  my  effort  from  the  sublime  to 
the  ridiculous,  and  I  did  not  know  whether  to  feel 
angry  or  relieved,  but  before  I  could  deny  the  ac 
cusation,  as  I  was  minded  to,  the  sound  of  a  motor 
car  on  the  driveway  outside  interrupted,  and  the 
possible  arrival  of  some  one  else,  caused  Margaret 
to  rise  hurriedly  and  say,  "  If  all  of  you  will  ex 
cuse  me,  I  think  I  will  retire.  Somehow  I  don't  yet 
feel  strong  enough  to  meet  strangers."  But  from 
her  somewhat  nervous  manner  I  imagined  an  en 
tirely  different  reason  for  her  disinclination  to  meet 
people. 

She  came  to  me  with  outstretched  hand  as  I 
rose,  and  thanked  me  most  sincerely  for  our  pleas 
ant  conversation  during  dinner  and  for  my  song, 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART   155 

and  then  with  a  hurried  "  good-night,"  departed, 
in  company  with  her  sister. 

They  left  the  room  with  their  arms  about  one 
another's  waists,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  had 
never  seen  so  lovely  a  picture  of  young  womanhood 
and  sisterly  affection. 

As  I  turned  about,  after  escorting  them  to  the 
doorway,  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  Man 
ners,  who  had  just  stepped  into  the  room  through 
one  of  the  open  Venetian  windows  from  the  porch. 

I  stopped  short  in  surprise  and  anger,  but  he 
showed  no  embarrassment,  making  the  easy-going 
greeting,  "  Good  evening,  everybody,"  and  then,  as 
though  just  catching  sight  of  me,  "  Ah,  good  eve 
ning,  Mr.  Shaw." 

"Hello,  Manners,"  said  Bert.  "Didn't  know 
that  you  were  acquainted  with  Shaw." 

"  I  have  had  that  pleasure,"  was  the  suave  an 
swer.  "  Indeed  he  dined  with  me  last  night." 

"  So.  I  didn't  know  that  you  had  joined  the 
four  hundred,  John." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  I  replied  to  conceal  my  true  feel 
ing  with  a  tone  of  levity,  "  last  night  I  was  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  that  famous  company  as  the 
four  hundred  and  first  member  — " 

:<  Which  leaves  you  just  outside  the  pale,"  inter 
rupted  Bert.  This  remark  seemed  to  me  to  be 
carrying  his  insinuations  beyond  the  limit,  and  I 


156 MAN  PROPOSES 

saw  Manners  smile  ever  so  slightly,  but  he  changed 
the  conversation  instantly  by  saying, 

"  I  heard  a  bit  of  news  to-day  which  reminded  me 
most  forcibly  that  I  haven't  been  overneighborly  of 
late.  The  news  was  that  you  had  a  guest  staying 
with  you,  that  said  guest  was  a  young  lady,  and  said 
young  lady  most  attractive." 

"  Knowing  you  fairly  well,  as  I  do,"  drawled 
Bert,  "  the  news  of  such  a  combination  —  which  hap 
pens  to  be  true  in  all  respects  —  is  quite  sufficient 
reason  for  this  sudden  realization  of  your  lapses. 
To  tell  the  truth,  I've  been  rather  surprised  that  your 
smiling  countenance  hasn't  been  seen  on  the  scene 
long  ere  this.  Always  thought,  you  know,  that  you 
were  possessed  of  a  seventh  sense  which  led  you  in 
stinctively  and  unerringly  to  the  spot  where  hap 
pened  to  be  any  fair  damsel.  Mr.  Manners  is  our 
very  greatest  little  squire  of  dames,  John,"  he  added 
for  my  enlightenment,  "  and  the  very  faintest  swish 
of  a  woman's  skirt  brings  him  bounding  to  the  spot 
eager  for  conquest." 

This  characterization  did  not  seem  to  please  its 
subject  any  too  well,  and  I  gathered  that  Bert  held 
some  animosity  toward  his  neighbor,  or  else  was 
thoroughly  out  of  sorts  to-night  and  correspond 
ingly  sharp  in  speech. 

"  It's  no  such  thing,"  interrupted  Ethel,  as  al 
ways  ready  to  fight  on  the  side  of  the  oppressed. 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART  157 

"  Bert's  jealous  again,  this  time  over  Mr.  Manners' 
deserved  popularity  with  our  sex,  and  I  may  add 
that  if  more  of  you  were  as  considerate  and  atten 
tive  as  he  is,  this  dreary  world  would  be  a  merrier 
place  for  poor  down-trodden  females." 

"  Ouch,"  responded  her  brother.  "  Every  time  I 
open  my  mouth  I  seem  to  put  my  foot  in  it.  But 
Manners  knows  that  I'm  joking,  and  I  might  as  well 
plead  guilty  to  the  accusation  of  being  chronically 
jealous  of  his  successes  in  that  line.  When  he  en 
ters  the  lists  we  other  mere  men  have  to  be  content 
to  be  classed  as  *  also  rans.' ' 

"  Such  fulsome  flattery  is  wholly  unmerited,"  ob 
served  Manners.  "  The  fact  that  I'm  still  a  mourn 
ful  bachelor  at  forty  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  prove 
that  I'm  nothing  like  the  success  as  a  lady  killer  that 
you  would  make  me  out  to  be." 

"  Not  necessarily,"  said  Ethel.  "  You  may  be 
particularly  careful  — " 

"  Or  lucky,"  finished  Bert. 

"  Well,  anyway,  I  hope  that  you'll  refrain  from 
giving  me  such  a  reputation  to  your  present  guest. 
May  I  ask  who  she  is  ?  " 

"  You  may.  She's  an  old  friend  of  the  family,  a 
Miss  Lee  from  Virginia." 

"  Surely  you  don't  mean  the  Miss  Lee,  sister  of 
the  belle  who  was  married  to  Roland  Willard  last 
month  ? " 


158 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  Why  '  surely  '  ?  Are  you  so  surprised  that  we 
should  have  such  a  celebrity  as  our  guest  ?  I  assure 
you  that  such  is  the  fact." 

Manners  started  ever  so  slightly,  glanced  hastily 
at  me,  but  I  assumed  as  innocent  an  expression  as 
possible,  and  I  thought  that  he  assumed  that  I  had 
either  taken  no  notice  of  his  remarks  about  the  Lees 
the  previous  evening,  or  had  forgotten  them. 

"  Not  surprised,  but  highly  delighted.  From  all 
reports  Miss  Lee — " 

He  stopped  suddenly,  for  at  this  moment  Marion 
herself  appeared  in  the  door,  and  I  saw  a  look  which 
I  did  not  enjoy,  pass  over  his  face  at  the  first  sight 
of  her  radiant  loveliness. 

Formal  introductions  were  made,  and  almost  im 
mediately  Ethel  suggested  an  adjournment  to  the 
cooler  veranda,  a  plan  which  found  a  hearty  sec 
onder  in  me,  for,  as  the  company  was  now  consti 
tuted,  I  had  no  wish  to  hear  Marion  play  again,  as 
she  might  have  been  persuaded  to  had  we  remained 
indoors. 

It  would  be  hopeless  to  try  to  recount  the  gen 
eral  conversation  and  swift  repartee  which  followed 
for  the  next  half  hour,  but  before  that  period  of 
time  was  ended  I  had  to  admit  to  myself,  begrudg- 
ingly,  that  if  this  were  a  fair  sample,  Manners'  suc 
cesses  with  the  fair  sex  were  fairly  earned.  Never 
had  I  listened  to  such  a  finished  conversationalist, 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART    159 

and  though  I  soothed  my  harrowed  feelings  with 
the  thought  that  his  talk  was  wholly  superficial,  I 
could  not  but  acknowledge  that  it  was  highly  enter 
taining,  and  his  wit  as  keen  as  rapier  play. 

Manners'  conversation  fairly  sparkled  and  scin 
tillated,  and  his  fund  of  information,  whether  super 
ficial  or  not,  was  truly  amazing.  He  knew  when  to 
listen  intelligently  as  well,  and  quite  naturally  the 
more  his  marked  superiority  to  me  in  these  social 
graces  was  borne  in  upon  my  mind,  the  glummer 
and  glummer  I  correspondingly  became,  and  the 
more  I  withdrew  into  my  tent  and  sulked. 

Moreover,  my  perturbed  state  of  mind  was  not 
helped  any  as  I  saw  that  Marion  was  most  favorably 
impressed  with  the  new  guest,  and  was  enjoying 
his  lively  humor  to  the  utmost,  generally  giving  as 
good  as  she  got  in  the  fine  interplay  of  wits. 

My  disaffection  became  so  patent  that  after  a 
while  Bert  leaned  over  and  said  in  a  whispered  aside, 
"  What  the  deuce  has  come  over  you,  John  ? 
You're  about  as  festive  as  a  clam,  and  as  nervous 
as  a  cat,  which  is  certainly  an  astonishing  amalga 
mation  of  animal  attributes,  to  use  alliteration's  art 
ful  aid." 

"  Let'us  get  away  from  here  for  a  moment. 
There's  something  I  want  to  tell  you,"  said  I,  acting 
upon  a  sudden  intuitive  impulse  to  take  him  into 
my  confidence  on  the  one  matter  which  I  had  not 


160  MAN  PROPOSES 

previously  mentioned.  Excusing  ourselves  on  the 
ground  that  I  must  collect  my  tennis  belongings,  we 
went  up  to  Bert's  room. 

There  I  immediately  disclosed  to  him  all  that  I 
had  heard  Manners  tell  about  his  interest  in  the  Lee 
woodlands,  the  remark  Mr.  Hammond  had  made  in 
regard  to  what  might  be  expected  of  him  if  he  met 
Miss  Lee  in  Newport,  and  what  I  had  myself  done 
in  the  matter. 

"Whew!"  whistled  Bert.  "The  plot  thickens 
for  fair,  and  you've  certainly  got  your  nerve  right 
with  you,  but  I  can't  think  of  any  better  plan  than 
you  have  acted  on.  If  you  succeed  in  beating  Man 
ners  in  this  scheme  I  raise  the  flag,  and  if  you  need 
any  money  to  put  it  through  and  don't  want  to  call 
on  Willard,  why  just  say  the  word  and  I'll  shake 
a  few  coins  out  of  the  baby's  bank  for  you  my 
self." 

"  Thanks,  old  man,"  I  said,  gripping  his  hand. 
"  I'm  glad  to  have  some  one  else  whom  I  can  confer 
with,  but  what's  worrying  me  principally  just  this 
minute  is  the  way  that  snake  is  insinuating  himself 
into  her  friendship.  Talk  about '  nerve.'  He  must 
know  that  I  heard  his  damaging  admissions  last 
night,  and  yet  look  at  him  to-night." 

"  Oh,  you  can  set  your  mind  at  rest  on  that  point. 
There  is  no  need  of  worrying  yet  over  the  progress 
that  he  seems  to  be  making  toward  Miss  Lee's 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART   161 

friendship.  She  is  a  mere  chicken  in  years,  but, 
nevertheless,  she's  too  old  a  bird  in  experience  with 
men  to  be  caught  by  the  kind  of  chaff  he  is  using. 
Besides,  if  it  goes  too  far  I  can  drop  a  hint  — " 

"  For  the  Lord's  sake,  don't  do  that !  "  I  broke  in, 
in  some  alarm.  "  Judging  from  what  I've  seen,  or 
heard,  rather,  this  afternoon,  your  hints  generally 
result  in  just  the  opposite  occurring  from  what  you 
intend." 

"  It  has  apparently  proven  so  in  your  case,"  he 
replied  with  some  heat.  "  But,  seriously,  John  — 
to  change  the  subject  for  a  moment  —  I  have  been 
and  am  dead  in  earnest  in  trying  to  prevent  you 
from  letting  your  feelings  become  entangled  here." 

"Why?"  I  asked  bluntly,  somewhat  piqued  by 
these  continued  warnings. 

"  Oh,  hang  it  all,  I  can't  tell  you  outright,  but 
you  ought  to  be  able  to  draw  your  own  conclusions. 
Now,  don't  get  sore,  old  fellow,  and  if  you've  got 
an  idea  that  I  have  anything  against  you  personally 
please  disabuse  your  mind  of  it  forthwith.  Only 
under  the  present  conditions  and  the  way  society  is 
constituted  —  damn  it,  I  don't  know  how  to  put  it, 
John,  but  I  wish  for  your  own  sake  that  you  would 
go  easy.  I  feel  as  though  I'd  been  acting  like  a 
cad  this  afternoon  and  to-night,  but  I  know  that 
my  advice  is  sound.  Won't  you  follow  it  and  ask 
no  questions  ?  " 


162 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  All  right,  Bert,"  I  responded  a  bit  penitently, 
"  I'll  do  my  best  to  be  good.  But  as  to  the  other 
matter,  if  worse  comes  to  worse  I'll  take  the  chance 
of  getting  in  wrong  myself  by  warning  Miss  Lee 
against  this  fellow  impostor.  However,  I  wanted 
you  to  know  just  why  I  dislike  and  fear  your  neigh 
bor." 

"  I  see.  Go  as  far  as  you  like  in  the  dislike 
line;  we  don't  any  of  us  love  him  too  well  in  spite 
of  his  position  in  society,  and  he  really  is  a  devil 
with  the  women." 

"  So  I  should  judge,  and  now  that  the  atmos 
phere  is  clear  again,  let  us  go  down  and  face  the 
common  foe." 

When  we  reached  the  veranda,  Manners  was  just 
rising  to  take  his  departure,  having  the  wisdom  not 
to  overstay  his  welcome  on  the  first  call  and  to 
leave  while  the  impression  he  had  made  was 
strongest. 

"Jump  in  my  car,  Shaw,"  he  said  pleasantly; 
"  I  go  past  your  place."  I  wanted  to  stay  a  little 
while  after  he  had  gone,  but  there  seemed  to  be  no 
good  reason  for  refusing,  and  I,  therefore,  accepted 
his  invitation  with  as  good  grace  as  possible  and  be 
gan  to  make  my  own  adieux. 

As  I  held  Miss  Lee's  hand  a  moment  in  saying 
good  night  she  said,  "  You  won't  forget  our  engage 
ment  for  to-morrow  morning,  Mr.  Shaw." 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART    163 

"  I  may  forget  to  go  to  bed  —  probably  shall  — 
but  you  may  be  sure  that  I  won't  forget  that,  Miss 
Lee.  From  the  desert  I'll  come  to  thee  on  Bert's 
stallion,  shod  with  fire,  and  the  night  wind  shall  hear 
my  cry,  '  Come  on  down.' '  She  laughed  merrily 
at  my  misquotation  and  answered,  "  You  will  find 
me  waiting  for  you.  For  a  few  hours  then,  good- 
by." 

I  turned  from  her  with  the  warm  pressure  of  her 
hand  still  thrilling  me,  to  the  uncertainty  which  the 
coming  ride  with  my  enemy  held. 

His  own  farewell  was  the  acme  of  good  breeding, 
and  his  request  for  me  to  precede  him  into  the  car, 
as  pleasant  as  a  May  morning. 

We  sailed  away  from  the  house  with  the  easy 
gliding  motion  and  gentle  purr  which  distinguishes 
a  perfect  engine,  but  no  sooner  were  we  well  away 
from  the  Aldriches'  than  Manners  rapidly  increased 
the  speed  and  in  a  few  seconds  we  were  rushing 
madly  down  the  curving  drive  into  the  blackness  of 
the  night.  He  took  the  corner  at  terrific  speed,  and 
although  the  machine  responded  perfectly  to  his 
master  touch  upon  the  wheel,  it  nevertheless  pro 
tested  angrily  at  such  abuse,  swerving  like  an  out 
raged  broncho. 

My  heart  verily  rose  into  my  mouth,  but  by  keep 
ing  my  teeth  tightly  clinched,  I  managed  to  retain 
it  as  part  of  my  anatomy,  and  at  the  same  time  re- 


164  MAN  PROPOSES' 

strain  an  almost  irrepressible  impulse  to  cry  out. 

Suddenly  it  occurred  to  me  that,  for  some  reason 
or  other,  Manners  was  endeavoring  to  shake  my 
nerve.  With  this  thought  I  braced  myself  mentally, 
and,  outwardly  at  least,  remained  as  cool  and  im 
perturbable  as  he  himself  —  and  he  drove  with  the 
skill  and  daring  of  a  maniac.  After  a  moment  or 
two  he  slowed  the  machine  down  a  little  and  spoke, 
it  seemed  to  me,  nervously. 

"  Shaw,  you  and  I  don't  seem  to  get  along  very 
well.  I  may  as  well  frankly  admit  a  feeling  of 
antipathy  toward  you,  although  I  can't  imagine  why 
I  should  care  a  hang  one  way  or  the  other,  where 
you  are  concerned." 

I  remained  discreetly  silent,  and  he  was  forced  to 
continue  to  lead.  "  Last  night  I  —  er  —  perhaps 
indiscreetly  happened  to  mention  a  certain  personal 
business  matter  in  your  hearing."  I  still  said  noth 
ing,  and  he  went  on,  feeling  his  way,  "  I  think  that 
you  know  to  what  I  am  referring." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  briefly,  and  he  added  suavely, 
"  I  assume  that  you  are  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to 
make  use  of  any  information  so  gained,  even  if  it 
were  of  any  value  to  you  —  and,  of  course,  in  this 
case  it  is  not." 

Again  I  refrained  from  replying  to  his  implied 
question,  and  he  asked  a  little  sharply,  "  I  am  right, 
am  I  not?" 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART    165 

"  Considering  the  subject  matter  of  your  '  indis 
creet  '  disclosure,  do  you  think,  Mr.  Manners,  that 
there  is  any  necessity  of  bringing  the  question  of 
being  a  *  gentleman  '  into  this  discussion  ?  "  I  an 
swered  as  coolly  as  possible. 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  are  thinking  of 
trying  to  make  use  of  that  information  against  me  ?  " 
he  queried  in  feigned  surprise. 

"  I  have  not  said  so,"  was  my  calm  retort  which 
proved  exasperating,  for  he  went  on  rather  hotly. 
"  See  here,  Shaw,  we  might  as  well  come  to  an  un 
derstanding  in  this  matter.  Do  you  want  me  to 
get  the  idea  that  you  are  the  kind  of  a  fellow  who 
would  deliberately  take  advantage  of  information, 
given  in  confidence,  which  you  accidentally  obtained 
in  the  house  of  your  host,  and  — " 

"  I  don't  see  that  there  is  anything  to  be  gained 
by  becoming  insulting,  Mr.  Manners,  and  besides, 
the  information  was  not  imparted  in  confidence  to 
me,"  I  broke  in,  wishing  to  lead  him  on  and  find 
out  just  what  he  was  driving  at,  and  my  words  had 
the  desired  effect,  for  he  replied  with  a  flash  of 
anger  that  he  could  not  hide, 

"Oh,  you  don't,  don't  you?"  and  then  regaining 
his  outward  composure,  he  added  smilingly,  "  I  hope 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  you  will  not  consider 
it  unpardonable,  but  —  well,  the  fact  is  that,  acting 
on  impulse  this  morning,  I  had  my  personal  repre- 


166  MAN  PROPOSES 

sentative  in  Boston  look  you  up  rather  carefully." 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  the  information  which  he  telephoned  me 
this  evening  was  somewhat  interesting  —  sufficiently 
so  to  lead  one  to  draw  the  conclusion  that  things  are 
not  always  what  they  seem,"  he  added,  meditatively 
knocking  the  ashes  from  his  cigar. 

"Yes?" 

"  Yes.  I  don't  suppose  that  it  is  any  crime  for 
a  lawyer's  clerk,  who  gets  twenty-five  or  thirty  dol 
lars  a  week  to  pass  himself  off  in  Newport  in  the 
guise  of  a  wealthy  society  man,  and  thus  secure  the 
hospitality  of  one  of  our  set,  given  under  a  misap 
prehension  —  it's  been  done  before  —  but  — " 

"Don't  let  that  thought  disturb  you,  sir.  You 
are  at  perfect  liberty  to  tell  Mr.  Hammond  yourself, 
if  you  desire.  I  may  as  well  tell  you  now,  however, 
that  it  will  be  no  news  to  him." 

"  So  ?  And  knowing  that,  he  brought  you  around 
to  my  house  and  let  you  play  cards  with  me  for  a 
thousand  dollars,  when  you  probably  hadn't  ten  in 
your  pocket.  I  owe  him  one  for  that.  But  be 
that  as  it  may.  I  was  going  to  add,  when  inter 
rupted,  that  it  is  somewhat  more  serious  to  play  the 
same  sort  of  game  on  a  rich,  young  heiress  —  may 
we  say  Miss  Lee,  for  example?  You  may  have 
heard  the  word  *  fortune-hunter,'  and  know  that  a 
certain  odium  attaches  thereto." 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART    167 

This  thrust  stuck  a  tender  spot,  and  I  must  have 
winced  enough  to  show  him  that  he  had  scored  at 
last,  for  he  added  with  an  unpleasant  laugh,  "  The 
junior  clerk  in  the  office  of  Roland  Willard's  at 
torneys —  for  such  I'm  told  is  your  job  —  would 
be  a  splendid  match  for  his  little  sister-in-law." 

So  he  knew  with  whom  I  was  associated,  too! 
This  thought  worried  me  more  than  a  little,  for  al 
though  I  cared  not  at  all  whether  he  disclosed  my 
real  financial  condition  to  Miss  Lee,  my  plan  would 
be  dealt  a  death  blow  if  he  inadvertently  mentioned 
to  her  that  I  was  in  the  employ  of  Willard's  counsel. 

"  I  don't,  of  course,  pretend  to  know  just  what 
your  little  game  is,  but  I  do  know  enough  to  make 
it  rather  unpleasant  for  you  here  in  Newport,  and 
perhaps  at  the  Aldriches'  as  well,  if  I  should  feel 
forced  to." 

"What's  the  answer?"  I  asked  apparently  very 
much  disheartened. 

"  Why,  simply  that  if  you  are  a  wise  young  man, 
you  will  decide  that  discretion  is  the  better  part  of 
valor,  and  forget  all  about  the  little  break  I  made. 
Nevertheless,  I'm  a  man  of  business,  Shaw,  and  I 
think  I'll  make  you  a  little  proposition  that  you  will 
probably  recognize  the  advantage  of  ascribing  to  — 
that  is,  if  you  will  first  answer  a  question  or  two, 
and  I  pay  you  the  compliment  of  assuming  that  you 
will  answer  them  truthfully." 


168 MAX  PROPOSES 

"  And  the  questions  ?  " 

"  Have  you  as  yet  told  Miss  Lee  anything  about 
me,  or  even  hinted  to  her  regarding  what  I  said  ?  " 

"  No." 

"Nor  your  employers,  Mr.  Willard's  counsel?" 

"  No." 

"  Nor  any  one  likely  to  tell  them  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Needless  to  say,  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,  and  that 
being  the  case  I  will  agree  to  keep  under  my  hat 
what  I  know,  if  you  will  promise  to  keep  silent  about 
what  you  have  learned.  You  see,  we're  both  in  the 
same  boat." 

"  Agreed,"  said  I,  shortly,  with  an  inward  sigh  of 
relief,  although  I  could  scarcely  believe  my  ears 
when  he  had  so  worded  his  questions  that  I  was  able 
to  answer  all  of  them  truthfully  and  yet  not  divulge 
that  fact  that  I  had  already  set  the  wheel  in  motion 
to  frustrate  his  carefully  laid  plans.  In  trying  to 
be  explicit  and  cover  all  the  ground  he  had  left  me 
the  one  loop-hole  of  escape  wide  open.  I  was  now 
apparently  safe  to  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  my 
course  without  fear  from  his  direction. 

Mr.  Hammond  was  waiting  for  me,  and  hugely 
enjoyed  my  somewhat  expurgated  account  of  the 
doings  of  the  afternoon  and  evening,  especially  the 
part  relating  to  Manners'  nerve  in  seeking  the  ac 
quaintance  of  Miss  Lee  as  he  had  prophesied  that 


I  LOSE  MY  HEAD  AND  HEART   169 

he  would.  Needless  to  say,  I  made  no  mention  of 
my  flat  disregard  of  his  warning  signal  where  the 
same  young  lady  was  concerned,  but  he  may  have 
had  his  suspicions  when  I  spoke  of  the  morrow's 
ride  with  her. 

However,  he  did  not  attempt  to  repeat  his  advice, 
but  rather  insisted  that  I  use  one  of  his  own  horses 
upon  that  expedition,  and  straightway  called  up  his 
stable-keeper,  and  ordered  a  safe  and  sane  steed  for 
4  A.  M. —  for  I  admitted  that  I  was  no  cowboy. 

And,  needless  to  say,  I  slept  but  little  the  rest  of 
that  night,  what  with  my  mind  keyed  up  by  the 
events  of  the  day,  the  thought  of  my  new  bitter 
sweet  secret,  and  with  looking  at  my  watch  every 
half  hour. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IN   WHICH    TWO   START   OUT   AND   THREE   RETURN 

ROMANTIC  I  felt  indeed  the  following  day  as  I 
rode  through  the  gray  mist  of  early  morn  toward 
the  abode  of  my  enchantress. 

No  one  was  astir  when  I  arrived  at  the  Aldriches' 
and  the  mansion  appeared  to  be  still  wrapped  in 
slumber.  I  pulled  up  uncertainly  wondering  how 
to  proceed,  and  as  I  did  so  heard  the  click  of  a  shut 
ter  above  me,  glanced  up  and  saw  a  lovely  arm  bare 
to  the  elbow,  and  a  few  inches  of  creamy  white  lace 
in  the  aperture,  and  heard  a  sweet  voice  call  softly, 
"  You  caught  me  napping  —  actually  as  well  as 
figuratively  —  and  I'm  covered  with  shame,  and  not 
a  great  deal  else,"  the  last  words  were  spoken  so 
low  that  I  scarcely  heard  them. 

"  Please  wait  just  a  moment  and  I'll  show  you 
that  one  woman  at  least  can  dress  expeditiously." 
The  arm  disappeared  and  I  dismounted  to  wait  re 
signedly,  but  Miss  Marion  was  as  good  as  her  word 
and  in  a  shorter  time  than  I  could  have  accomplished 
it,  was  down  on  the  portico  arrayed  in  a  neat  riding 
habit  and  appearing  as  fresh  and  bright  as  a  dew- 
washed  flower. 

170 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   171 

"  There  is  no  necessity  for  my  going  to  the  cliffs 
for  the  sunrise,"  I  said  gallantly.  "  Your  presence 
has  dispelled  the  night." 

"  A  speech  worthy  even  of  a  Virginian,"  she  an 
swered,  smiling  brightly.  "  You  are  far  more  ro 
mantic  and  interesting  this  morning  than  during  the 
latter  part  of  last  evening." 

"  Ah,  but  now  there  is  no  rival  present  to  put  me 
in  eclipse,  you  see.  I  have  the  inspiration  all  to  my 
self." 

"  Isn't  this  delightfully  romantic?  I've  done  lots 
and  lots  of  unusual  things,  but  this  is  a  brand  new 
experience,  and  sister  scolded  me  dreadfully  last 
night  for  my  bad,  bold  behavior.  It's  just  like  an 
elopement,  isn't  it?" 

For  an  instant  the  mad  impulse  possessed  me  to 
seize  this  opening  to  suggest  that  we  turn  it  into  a 
real  one,  but  cooler  judgment  immediately  prevailed 
and  I  answered  in  the  same  light  vein,  "  Yes,  but 
hopelessly  old  fashioned.  I  wouldn't  think  of  ask 
ing  a  modern  maiden  to  elope  with  me  in  anything 
less  than  an  aeroplane." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  but  that  the  old  way  was  best," 
she  replied  pensively. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  riding  at  a  brisk  trot 
down  Bellevue  Avenue,  my  inaptitude  on  horseback 
preventing  me  from  conversing  freely,  and  the  joy  of 
the  morning  and  the  exhilarating  exercise  sufficing 


172 MAN  PROPOSES 

for  her.  The  few  remarks  that  we  did  exchange 
were  all  on  the  subject  of  health-giving  sport,  and 
we  quickly  found  a  kinship  in  our  love  of  games  and 
the  out  of  doors. 

As  we  rode,  the  sky  in  the  east  changed  from  pearl 
gray  to  mauve,  then  to  faint  lilac,  and  then  became 
filled  of  a  sudden  with  a  warm  golden  glow. 

We  reached  the  end  of  the  Avenue,  drew  rein  and 
faced  our  horses  toward  the  Orient,  and  now,  as 
though  nature  had  been  waiting  for  this  signal,  the 
couriers  of  Aurora,  swift  flashes  of  light,  ran  up 
the  heavens,  an  inestimable  army  of  attendants  in 
multi-colored  gay  array  followed,  covering  the  sky 
with  a  spreading  glory  more  beautiful  than  a  sun 
set,  and  then  the  fiery  sun  himself  sprang  into  view, 
causing  the  waves  on  the  curving  bay  to  dance  with 
joy  at  his  coming. 

Neither  of  us  spoke  for  several  minutes  while 
this  gorgeous  spectacle  was  being  enacted  before  our 
eyes.  Then  my  companion  sighed  regretfully,  "  It 
was  worth  it,  wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  It  was  magnificent,  but  I  did  not  need  the  sun 
rise  to  make  my  ride  worth  while,"  I  responded,  in  a 
low  voice.  She  did  not  reply,  but  once  more  a  flush 
not  attributable  to  the  color  still  lingering  in  the 
heavens,  mounted  over  her  cheeks. 

At  last  with  one  accord  we  wheeled  about  and 
rode  slowly  along  the  Ocean  Drive.  Miss  Lee  was 


very  silent  and  I  waited  patiently  for  her  to  shake 
off  the  spell  of  the  vision. 

Finally  she  said  thoughtfully,  "  How  much  we 
creatures  of  civilization  miss  after  all.  How  few  of 
us  ever  see  that  glorious  picture  which  nature  paints 
anew  almost  daily  with  such  prodigal  liberality. 
Our  lives  and  interests  are  so  restricted  and  nar 
rowed  in  some  ways  by  conventionality,  that  all  the 
manifold  beauties  of  the  natural  world  have  come 
to  mean  very  little  to  any  of  us.  I  often  wonder  if 
it  is  really  worth  while." 

"  I  know.  I  sometimes  have  the  same  feeling. 
In  gaining  so  little  we  have  lost  so  much." 

"  That's  just  it.  The  primal  savage,  whose  life 
seems  to  us  so  narrow  and  meaningless,  had  an  ap 
preciation  of  the  natural  universe  which  we  have 
lost  utterly.  We  boast  of  our  vaunted  progress  and 
the  constant  broadening  of  our  horizon.  Intellectu 
ally  it  is  true,  but  —  I  wonder.  To  most  of  us  a 
rock  is  merely  something  hard  to  stumble  over  and 
be  gotten  out  of  the  way ;  a  tree  is  shade,  or  a  thing 
to  get  wood  from ;  grass  is  something  to  keep  off  of 
and  cut,  and  I  doubt  if  any  of  them  mean  as  much 
even  to  your  trained  geologist  or  botanist  as  to  the 
untutored  savage  who  vested  them  with  spirits  and 
made  them  his  friends  or  enemies. 

"  Civilization  with  all  its  man-made  laws,  hasn't 
made  the  world  better,  in  one  way.  There  is  ir,- 


174 MAN  PROPOSES 

finitely  less  crime  among  the  animals  of  the  forest 
than  among  men.  They  obey  nature's  laws  abso 
lutely  and  need  no  others.  They  love  and  mate  and 
rear  their  offspring  with  none  of  the  narrowing 
restrictions  of  man  which  kill  the  spirit.  Oh,  why 
can't  we  have  their  joy  of  freedom?  "  she  flung  her 
arms  wide  in  a  gesture  of  protest. 

"  That  is  one  of  the  penalties  of  progress,"  I  an 
swered  rather  lamely,  for  I,  too,  was  affected  by  her 
mood  induced  by  the  spell  of  nature,  and  would  have 
liked  to  have  thrown  custom  and  laws  to  the  winds 
and,  like  the  savage  of  old,  taken  her  then  and 
there  and  carried  her  away  to  my  cave  or  wigwam. 
"  Knowledge  brings  with  it  evil  as  well  as  good. 
Nature  is  unmoral,  but  along  with  civilization  comes 
active  morality  and  immorality,  good  and  bad,  and 
laws  and  conventions  must  need  go  hand  in  hand 
with  them,  to  restrain  the  awakened  imagination  and 
the  growing  capabilities  for  harm." 

"  Bromide,"  she  replied.  "Of  course  your  argu 
ments  are  unanswerable,  but  they  don't  answer  the 
big  question  '  Is  it  all  worth  while  ?  '  My  intellect 
tells  me  that  I  am  talking  nonsense  and  that  it  is  the 
best  way,  or  God  would  not  have  so  ordained  it,  but 
at  times,  rmes  like  this,  my  soul  revolts.  I'm  a 
good  deal  of  a  cavage  at  heart,  I  guess." 

"  And  are  we  not  all  of  us?  "  I  answered.  "  Our 
civilization  is,  after  all,  only  the  thin  veneer  laid  on 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   175 

by  a  few  ages  which  count  as  nothing  as  against  the 
innumerable  ones  which  went  before.  The  prime 
val  feelings  are  deeply  ingrained,  and  we  are  still 
children  of  nature  and  nature's  laws,  however  much 
we  may  rant  about  the  power  of  the  mind  over  mat 
ter.  The  two  great  wOrld-old  instincts,  self-preser 
vation  and  propagation,  are  as  strong  among  our 
most  advanced  peoples  as  among  the  lowest  animals, 
and  it  is  no  wonder  that  there  come  times  when  all 
of  us  hear  the  atavistic  call  of  the  wild,  and  we  feel 
like  harking  back  to  the  so-called  '  good  old  days 
when  the  world  was  young ' —  which,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  weren't  good  old  days  at  all." 

"  Yes,  we  haven't  advanced  very  far  on  the  road 
to  perfection  after  all,  and  since  our  primal  instincts 
are  the  same  as  of  old,  how  unjust  seem  many  of 
our  pretty  conventionalities  and  restrictions.  Mr. 
Shaw,  do  you  believe  in  divorce?  " 

This  surprising  question,  coming  like  a  bolt  out 
of  the  blue,  staggered  me  and  almost  left  me  speech 
less. 

Putting  two  and  two  together,  I  quickly  con 
cluded  that  the  trend  of  our  unusually  serious  con 
versation  had  carried  her  thoughts  to  the  law  which 
had  welded  and  must  be  made  to  break  ar'mder  her 
sister's  distasteful  marriage  bond  —  the  only  solu 
tion  from  her  standpoint. 

"  My  answer  must  be  the  unsatisfactory,  hydra- 


176 MAN  PROPOSES 

headed  one  of  '  yes  and  no,'  "  I  replied,  choosing 
my  words  carefully,  for  I  knew  that  whatever  I 
said  might  be  used  against  me  later.  "  May  I  in 
quire  why  you  ask  that  peculiar  question  in  con 
nection  with  our  present  conversation  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  should  think  that  the  connection  was  ob 
vious.  Marriage  is  a  man-made  institution,  not  one 
of  nature,  and  death  and  divorce  are  the  only  ways 
which  man-made  law  recognizes  for  terminating  it. 
Somehow  my  whole  soul  cries  out  this  morning  for 
the  natural  life,  for  freedom  from  restrictive  rules 
and  confining  conventions.  I'm  kicking  against  the 
pricks.  You  mustn't  think,  Mr.  Shaw,  that  I  am  a 
new  woman  or  a  *  feminist.'  We  Southern  girls  are 
brought  up  along  old-fashioned  lines,  and  this  is  a 
personal  —  perhaps  merely  temporary  —  revolt  on 
my  part,  but  a  morning  like  this,  when  all  the  world 
seems  so  free  and  joyous,  I  can't  help  feeling  that 
every  one  should  have  an  inalienable  right  to  be 
as  happy  as  possible  —  especially  women.  Heaven 
knows  that  their  lives  nowadays  are  seldom  their 
own  to  live  in  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
Modern  rules  and  conventions  restrict  a  man,  but 
they  fetter  a  woman,  and,  even  aside  from  this  in 
equality,  his  interests  are  so  much  broader  and  more 
varied  than  hers,  that  were  their  effect  the  same, 
he  would  not  ever  be  bound  down  as  she  is.  A 
man's  home  and  family  may  be  a  principal  part 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   177 

of,  but  they  are  not  his  whole  world.  They  are  a 
woman's.  The  institution  of  marriage  and  bearing 
of  children  could  not  persist,  if  her  very  existence 
were  not  bound  up  in  her  husband  and  children  — 
if  they  were  not  her  very  life.  But  see  how  custom 
and  law  act.  They  say,  '  with  this  man  you  shall 
live  willy  nilly,  no  matter  if,  after  marriage,  you 
discover  that  you  have  made  an  appalling  mistake, 
that  that  which  you  thought  was  real  love  was  only 
fascination,  perhaps  only  the  romantic  fiction  that 
a  young  girl  so  often  weaves  about  the  person  of  her 
lover,  especially  if  he  is  considerably  older  and  seems 
very  grand  to  her.'  What  matters  it  if  after  the 
wedding  she  finds  that  she  was  mistaken  in  the 
man,  and  that  he  is  not  all  she  believed  him  to  be, 
the  die  is  irrevocably  cast  —  no,  don't  speak!  I 
know  what  you  would  say,  that  that  is  the  almost 
inevitable  result.  I  suppose  it  is,  but  now  I  don't 
mean  in  the  little  human  frailties,  but  in  something 
really  important  —  something  that  counts.  Is  it 
right,  is  it  just  that  she  should  be  confined  to  a  life 
of  mental  torture  within  her  narrow  circle  with 
such  a  partner,  simply  because  the  marriage  law 
says,  '  till  death  do  ye  part/  and  the  civil  law  adds, 
*  for  this  or  that  reason  only  will  we  dissolve  the 
bond'? 

"  Why,  don't  you  see  that  many  of  the  causes 
that  man  in  his  finite  wisdom  has  selected  as  suffi- 


178 MAN  PROPOSES 

cient  reason  for  decreeing  a  divorce,  would  not 
cause  the  wife  anything  like  the  mental  anguish 
that  comes  from  utter  uncongeniality  with  her  hus 
band?" 

She  paused  a  moment,  almost  breathless  from  the 
force  of  her  own  invectives,  and  I  was  too  astounded 
at  this  surprisingly  frank  and  thoughtful  discus 
sion  on  the  lips  of  little  more  than  a  girl,  to  attempt 
to  answer  her. 

"  Why  should  she  and  her  right  to  seek  and 
find  happiness  elsewhere  be  ruthlessly  sacrificed  just 
because  man-created  law  and  custom  say  they 
must  ?  " 

She  was  breathing  quickly,  her  cheeks  flaming 
and  every  nerve  and  muscle  was  responding  to  her 
wrought-up  feelings.  "  What  a  woman  this  is." 
I  thought,  "  With  all  this  force  and  strength  of 
character  not  tamed,  but  merely  molded  and  di 
rected  by  the  all-powerful  influence  of  love,  where 
could  I  find  another  like  her?  " 

I  was  facing  a  difficult  situation,  however.  If 
this  was  the  way  she  and  her  sister  felt  now  about 
divorce,  and  I  couldn't  change  their  attitude  of 
mind,  my  mission  was  doomed  to  abject  failure  at 
the  outset.  With  no  too  great  confidence  I  began: 

"  The  answer  as  it  seems  to  me  —  and  I  must 
admit  to  being  too  young  in  wisdom  to  hope  to 
qualify  as  a  sage  —  is  just  because,  as  you  just  said 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   179 

yourself,  '  law  and  custom  say  they  must.'  I  can't 
pretend  to  say  '  here  is  the  real  reason  for  things  as 
they  now  exist/  nobody  can,  the  whole  question  is 
too  big,  too  complex,  but,  in  my  mind,  it  works  out 
something  like  this. 

"  With  the  growth  of  the  intellect  and  knowledge 
(which  is  not  at  all  synonymous  with  wisdom), 
came  a  corresponding  weakening  in  the  primitive 
animal  instincts  and  powers.  A  real  family  life  be 
came  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  children  in 
infancy,  and,  for  this,  a  real  marriage  became  abso 
lutely  essential,  as  you  know,  for  this  is  merely 
elementary  sociology.  This  institution  did  come 
from  heaven  in  the  sense  that  it  was  a  necessary  ad 
junct  to  God's  plan  for  the  development  of  the 
world  and  mankind.  Marriage  is  the  safeguard  of 
the  family  and  the  home,  and  as  such  —  as  the 
prayerbook  service  says  —  not  a  thing  to  be  en 
tered  into  or  regarded  lightly,  not  yet  a  tie  to  be 
broken  lightly,  as  the  law  says  in  confirmation. 

"  This  general  rule  is  the  outgrowth  of  plain  ne 
cessity.  There  are,  doubtless,  men  and  women  per 
fectly  capable  of  living  noble,  upright,  and,  in  the 
truest  sense,  virtuous  lives  together  out  of  wedlock, 
and  so,  too,  there  are  people  who  would  be  mutually 
and  inestimably  benefited  by  a  dissolution  of  the 
marriage  tie  between  them  —  people  who  have 
found  that  they  made  a  mistake  in  choosing  their 


180  MAN  PROPOSES 

mates.  Such  people  are  of  a  high  moral  fiber  who 
do  not  need  the  restraining  influence  of  law  or  cus 
tom  in  order  to  develop  morally.  But  these  are  in 
finitesimal  in  number  compared  with  the  millions 
whose  passions  and  impulses  do  need  some  check 
from  without  because  of  their  human  frailties. 
Custom  and  laws,  the  product  of  what  mankind  has 
found  to  be  for  its  own  good  through  the  ages, 
furnish  this  necessary  check.  Where  they  work 
well  for  the  mass  of  men  and  women,  they  are  benef 
icent  customs,  good  laws.  I  won't  pretend  but  that 
some  few  individuals  may,  nay,  must,  suffer  from 
them,  but  in  Mother  Nature's  big  plan  the  individual 
counts  for  nothing,  the  race  for  everything." 

"  I  see  that  you  are  not  only  a  champion  of  the 
theories  of  sociology,  but  can  see  no  wrong  in  the 
law  —  just  as  I  might  have  expected  from  a  law 
yer,"  she  interrupted,  somewhat  bitterly. 

"  As  to  the  first  statement,  unequivocally  *  yes  ' ; 
as  to  the  second  you  are  wrong.  Undoubtedly  the 
law,  as  a  whole,  is  as  good  as  man  with  his  count 
less  limitations  can  make  it,  but  it  is  a  human  not  a 
divine  product,  and  I'll  admit  freely  that  although 
it  is  good  as  a  statement  of  general  working  prin 
ciples,  it  often  results  in  injustice  and  harm  to  in 
dividuals.  The  rules  of  our  divorce  courts,  which 
you  seem  to  regard  as  so  unjust,  of  course  fall  un 
der  my  general  proposition,  and  now  in  answer  to 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   181 

your  original  question  I  can  say  that  I  do  believe  in 
divorce,  but  only  to  the  extent  it  is  permitted  by  the 
laws  of  a  conservative  state,  like  my  own  for  ex 
ample.  Mankind  has  realized  that  not  to  allow  the 
marriage  tie  to  be  broken  under  any  circumstances 
would  be  both  unjust  and  wicked,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  to  permit  it  to  be  dissolved  almost  at  will  — 
which  is  pretty  nearly  what  your  plea  amounts  to  — 
would  soon  be  fatal  to  that  necessary  institution. 

"  We  are  all  of  us  still  creatures  of  impulse,  blown 
hither  and  thither  by  the  winds  of  passion.  If  men 
and  women  were  free  to  break  the  marriage  bond 
because  of  a  passing  whim  —  one  which  they  might 
deeply  regret  on  sober  second  thought  —  the  whole 
system  would  soon  fall,  free  love  would  result,  mor 
als  would  disappear,  and  in  time  civilization  would 
revert,  much  faster  indeed  than  it  has  been  built  up, 
and  '  the  last  state  would  be  worse  than  the  first.' 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  every  thinking  person  must 
ascribe  to  this,  and  especially  we  Americans  who 
have  been  brought  up  to  believe  in  the  sacredness  of 
the  majority,  and  to  bow  to  it  without  rancor,  how 
ever  much  its  rule  may  be  opposed  to  our  own  inter 
ests  as  we  see  them.  We,  of  all  people,  ought  to 
ascribe  to  the  laws  whose  purpose  is  to  serve  the 
masses,  not  favored  individuals." 

"  Doubtless  you  are  right  —  in  theory  —  but  isn't 
it  pretty  hard  on  the  special  individuals  who  must 


182 MAN  PROPOSES 

suffer  through  no  fault  of  their  own?"  she  an 
swered  thoughtfully. 

"  I  have  already  admitted  that.  And  of  course 
the  knowledge  that  the  law  which  injures  them  is  in 
fact  a  good  law,  doesn't  help  any.  There  is  one 
other  consideration  however,  which  neither  of  us 
have  yet  taken  into  account,  which  should  come  to 
their  aid." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  The  Christian  ideal  of  the  necessity  and  beauty 
of  self  sacrifice  of  the  individual  for  the  good  of 
others.  We  cannot  possibly  tell  how  great  harm 
may  come  from  the  refusal  of  one  man  or  woman  to 
ascribe  to  the  law,  even  though  their  own  souls  may 
justify  them  absolutely  in  the  stand  which  they 
take.  They  may  not  themselves  suffer, —  although 
any  one  who  opposes  custom  is  pretty  sure  to,  sooner 
or  later, —  but  because  of  their  selfish  act  many 
others  with  less  provocation  may  be  led  astray  and 
damned." 

"  *  Almost  thou  dost  persuade  me/  "  she  answered 
sadly.  "  But  you  must  not  forget  that  in  the  or 
dinary  individual  who  finds  himself  or  herself  in  the 
clutch  of  the  fell  circumstances  which  I  have  sug 
gested,  the  older  instinct  of  self  preservation  at 
whatever  cost  is  pretty  likely  to  be  paramount. 
Anybody  can  generalize  as  you  have  been  doing,  but 
how  much  do  generalizations  count  to  the  heart  and 


TWO  START,  THREE  RETURN   183 

soul  in  revolt?  Only  a  truly  great  spirit,  like 
Christ's,  can  sacrifice  itself  without  a  murmur  in 
such  a  case.  Could  you?  " 

Again  the  sudden  and  unexpectedly  personal 
question  startled  me.  After  a  long  pause  I  replied, 
"  I  don't  know.  I  only  hope  that  I  may  never  be  so 
tested." 

Of  course  our  discussion  and  dissertations  had 
been  frequently  interrupted  by  pauses  and  questions, 
and  now  we  had  nearly  completed  the  circle  and  were 
entering  the  old  town  from  the  west. 

We  had  been  riding  in  intimate  silence  for  a  time 
after  this  remark  of  mine,  when  I  heard  the  sound 
of  another  horse's  hoofs,  and  suddenly  out  of  a  side 
street  appeared  my  bete  noire,  Manners,  at  the 
gallop. 

I  was  far  from  pleased  to  see  him.  Moreover  I 
thought  that  a  shadow  of  regret  passed  over  Miss 
Lee's  face,  but  the  intruder's  countenance  wore  a 
smile,  although  the  look  he  gave  me  was  not  pleas 
ant,  his  expression  being  one  of  mingled  triumph 
and  hostility. 

"Bless  my  soul,  do  my  eyes  deceive  me?"  he 
cried,  drawing  up  suddenly  directly  in  front  of  us, 
and  I  felt  instinctively  that  this  was  in  reality  no 
chance  meeting,  and  that  having  drawn  his  own 
conclusions  from  our  parting  words  the  night  be 
fore,  he  had  deliberately  set  out  to  intercept  us. 


184 MAN  PROPOSES 

But  he  continued  gayly,  ignoring  the  coolness  of 
his  reception,  "If  the  old  saying  about  early  birds 
gathering  the  worms  is  true,  you  two  must  have 
cornered  the  market  in  annelids  this  morning." 

Miss  Lee  greeted  him  pleasantly  but  without  an 
swering  the  implied  quaere  or  attempting  to  explain 
our  morning's  occupation.  My  own  greeting  was 
decidedly  churlish,  I  am  afraid. 

Without  waiting  for  an  invitation,  he  wheeled 
about  and  joined  himself  to  our  company,  and  I 
forthwith  withdrew  into  my  shell  again,  thankful 
for  even  the  small  comfort  afforded  by  the  thought 
that  we  were  nearly  home. 

Manners  chatted  lightly,  but  the  pace  Miss  Lee 
set  precluded  any  great  amount  of  conversation, 
and  as  he  came  in  view  of  the  house  she  interrupted 
to  issue  an  inclusive  challenge  for  a  race  to  the 
stable,  and  we  were  off  at  the  gallop. 

She  was  a  wonderful  rider,  Manners  no  less  so. 
On  they  flew  neck  and  neck,  with  me  a  poor  third 
and  steadily  losing  ground. 

Just  as  they  passed  the  house  he  drew  rein  suffi 
ciently  to  let  her  go  in  winner  by  a  nose,  his  gen 
tlemanly  conduct  only  gaining  the  unspoken  char 
acterization,  "  hypocrite  "  from  me,  and  I  rode  up 
a  moment  later  with  my  heart  hot  with  indigna 
tion  over  this  anticlimatic  ending  to  my  wonderful 
morning. 


As  we  came  to  a  standstill  and  were  dismounting 
—  I  none  too  gracefully  for  I  was  decidedly  stiff  — 
Bert  appeared  on  the  side  veranda  with  a  napkin 
over  his  arm  and  vigorously  beating  away  at  a 
Chinese  gong,  and  shouting,  "  Last  call  for  break 
fast  in  the  dining-car.  Come  on,  John,  there's  a 
bowl  of  mush  and  milk  set  out  for  you.  'Morning, 
Manners." 

The  fact  that  no  similar  invitation  was  extended 
to  the  latter  cheered  me  up  considerably,  and  once 
more  I  realized  what  a  real  friend  at  heart  I  had  in 
Bert,  thus  on  my  behalf  to  ignore  the  rules  of  hos 
pitality. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN    WHICH   AN   ENGAGEMENT   OCCURS 

WHEN  breakfast  was  over,  the  various  members 
of  the  family  departed  one  by  one  to  their  several 
duties  or  engagements.  Even  Bert,  with  the  free 
dom  born  of  old  friendship,  left  me,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  I  could  amuse  myself  for  a  little  while, 
and  in  fact  this  seeming  discourtesy  pleased  me 
mightily  for  it  told  its  own  story  of  how  truly  I 
was  becoming  regarded  as  "  one  of  the  family." 

Before  she  went  to  her  room  to  get  off  some  cor 
respondence  Miss  Marion  gave  me  her  hand  with  a 
clasp  of  comradeship,  saying, 

"  I  want  to  thank  you  now,  Mr.  Shaw  —  in  case 
I  shouldn't  see  you  again  this  morning  —  for  our 
wonderful  ride,  and  —  and  all  the  rest.  I  can  not 
promise  to  ascribe  to  all  your  ideas,  but  I  shan't  for 
get  either  them  or  the  sunrise." 

I  have  said  that  all  the  members  of  the  family 
departed  from  me  ?  Not  so.  Little  Janet  straight 
way  annexed  herself  to  me,  calmly  but  firmly  refus 
ing  to  go  on  her  usual  morning  walk  with  her  nurse, 
and  after  leading  me,  a  willing  subject,  to  a  Glouces 
ter  hammock  on  the  piazza,  appropriated  a  seat  in 

186 


my  lap.  I  loved  children  passionately  so  her  com 
pany  was  no  cross  to  me,  but  her  very  first  ques 
tions —  and  I  knew  enough  of  four-year  olds  to 
look  for  a  perfect  flood  of  them  —  proved  rather 
embarrassing,  or  would  have,  had  any  one  else  been 
present. 

"  Has  you  any  little  girls,  Unke  John?  " 
"  No,  dear,  I'm  sorry  to  say  I  haven't  any  little 
girls." 

"  Why  hasn't  you  any  little  girls,  Unke  John?  " 
"  Oh,  because  I'm  an  old  bachelor  and  never  got 
married,  I  expect." 

"  Does  you  has  to  be  married  to  have  little  girls  ?  " 
"  Yes,  dear." 

"  Why  ?  I  should  sink  ol'  bach'lors  would  spe 
cially  want  little  girls.  They  must  get  awful  lone 
some." 

"  They  do  get  lonesome  many  times." 
"  Then  why  don't  you  get  married  and  have  some 
little  girls,  Unke  John." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.     I  guess  nobody'd  have  me." 
"  Wouldn't  Auntie  Lee  have  you  ?  " 
"  I   never   asked   her,   but   I   don't   believe   she 
would." 
"Why?" 
"  Oh,  because." 

"  Muvver  says  '  because  '  isn't  any  reason,  Unke 
John." 


188 MAN  PROPOSES       

"  Well,  it  isn't  usually,  sweetheart,  but  I  could  not 
think  of  any  other  just  then."  This  seemed  to  sat 
isfy  her  as  an  answer,  but  in  a  moment  she  began  the 
inquisition  again. 

"  Would  you  like  to  marry  Auntie  Lee,  Unke 
John?" 

"  You  bet  I  would." 

"  You  mustn't  say  '  you  bet/  Unke  John,  Muvver 
says  so." 

"  Mother's  right  as  usual.  I  take  back  the  *  you 
bet '  part." 

"  I  sink  Auntie  Lee's  awful  mean  if  she 
won't  marry  you  " —  a  pause  — "  but  if  she  won't, 
I  will,  Unke  John."  This  spoken  with  deep  resig 
nation. 

"  Why,  thank  you,  dear.     That  would  be  lovely." 

"  Now  we're  'gaged.  You  may  kiss  me."  I 
tilted  back  the  sweet  little  flowerlike  face  and 
obeyed,  wishing  ardently  that  it  belonged  to  one 
other. 

She  settled  herself  more  comfortably  and  said, 
"  Now  you  must  tell  me  a  story." 

The  idea  of  having  to  tell  a  story  as  the  logical 
results  of  becoming  engaged  struck  me  as  particu 
larly  appropriate.  Most  men  do,  many  of  them. 
So  I  began  immediately.  '  Once  upon  a  time  when 
your  betrothed  \vas  — ' ': 

"What's  a 'betrothed'?" 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS      189 

"  A  betrothed  means  the  man  you're  engaged  to, 
Janie." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  say  what  you  mean?  " 

Properly  rebuked  and  determined  not  to  err 
again,  I  recommenced, 

"  Once  upon  a  time  when  some  other  fellows  and 
I  were  hunting  up  in  Maine  — " 

"  Where's  up  in  Maine  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it's  a  place  way,  way  up  there,"  I  explained, 
pointing  vaguely  in  the  direction  of  the  north,  and 
she  nodded  sagely. 

"  It  was  almost  winter  time  this  trip.  One 
morning  we  started  out  to  climb  a  big  moun 
tain  — " 

"  Oh,  I  know  a  mountain  where  we  went  once. 
It  had  a  funny  name.  The  Adrumdacks.  Was 
your  mountain  bigger  than  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  infinitely  bigger,  you  couldn't  imagine  such 
a  big  mountain." 

"  I  could  'magine  a  mountain  so  big  that  it 
touched  the  sky,"  she  replied  dreamily,  looking  up 
into  the  azure.  "  Was  your  mountain  as  big  as  that, 
Unkejohn?" 

"  Well,  now,  I  don't  believe  that  it  was,"  I  replied 
dubiously,  then  added  sternly,  "  If  you  want  me  to 
tell  you  a  story  you  must  not  interrupt  me  all  the 
time." 

"  'Scuse  me,"  she  said  so  penitently  that  I  had  to 


190 MAN  PROPOSES 

give  her  a  forgiving  kiss.  "  But,"  she  continued, 
"  you  shouldn't  scold  your  'gaged.'' 

This  sounded  reasonable,  so  I  apologized  in  turn, 
and  went  on. 

"  We  walked  all  day  long  through  a  big,  dark 
wood  until  it  was  nearly  night."  She  shivered  ap 
preciatively.  "  Suddenly  I  saw  a  —  a  —  a  wild 
cat." 

"  Ooooooh." 

"  I  left  the  rest  of  the  party  and  began  to  follow 
the  tracks  all  alone.  At  last  I  noticed  that  it  was 
getting  darker,  and  DARKER,  and  DARKER,  and 
looking  up  through  the  trees  I  saw  that  the  sky  was 
all  covered  over  by  big  black  clouds,  and  pretty 
soon  it  began  to  snow.  You  can't  imagine  how  it 
snowed." 

"  I  can  'magine  — "  she  recommenced,  but  I  hur 
riedly  headed  her  off.  "  It  came  down  so  thick  and 
fast  that  I  couldn't  see  my  hand  in  front  of  my 
face."  At  this  statement  she  began  to  experiment, 
holding  her  own  chubby  fist  at  varying  distances 
from  her  upturned  nose  until  it  was  all  I  could  do 
to  hold  my  laughter  in.  "  The  snow  piled  up  on  the 
ground  so  fast  that  in  a  few  minutes  it  was  up  to 
my  knees."  And  here  she  pulled  her  little  skirts  up 
from  her  bare  legs  and  meditatively  regarded  her 
own.  Truly  I  had  a  most  appreciative  audience. 

"  The  snow  soon  obliterated  —  eh,  that  is,  covered 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS      191 

up  the  trail,  and,  to  my  great  horror,  I  found  that 
I  was  lost;  lost  in  the  dark  woods  on  a  high  moun 
tain,  in  an  awful  snow  storm."  She  cuddled  up 
closer  at  this  terrifying  thought,  and,  wiping  the 
perspiration  from  my  face,  I  continued : 

"  I  tried  to  remember  where  the  camp  was  but 
after  walking  for  hours  and  hours  I  couldn't  find 
it." 

"  Why  didn't  you  shoot  off  your  gun?  "  she  asked 
practically. 

"  Oh,  I  did,  over  and  over  again  until  all  my 
cartridges  were  gone,  but  the  snow  was  so  thick  the 
noise  couldn't  go  through  it,  in  fact  the  bangs  all 
stayed  so  close  around  me  that  they  almost  made  me 
deaf.  Well,  at  last  I  was  awfully  scared  and  al 
most  ready  to  cry  — " 

"  I  sink  I  should  have  cried  long  ago,"  she  said 
sympathetically  with  a  little  sob  at  my  frightful 
dilemma,  and  I  had  to  give  her  a  comforting  hug. 

"  Suddenly,  away  off  through  the  trees,  I  saw  a 
little  gleam  of  light.  '  Ah,  there  is  the  camp  at 
last/  I  thought." 

"But  it  wasn't?" 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed.  It  came  from  a  little  cabin 
hidden  in  the  middle  of  the  woods.  'Most  dead  by 
this  time  I  stumbled  to  it,  mighty  happy,  you  may 
be  sure,  to  think  that  I  had  found  a  refuge  for  the 
night.  I  knocked  on  the  door.  Nobody  answered", 


192 MAN  PROPOSES 

although  I  could  hear  people  walking  about  inside 
and  talking.'' 

"  P'raps  they  didn't  hear  you  if  they  was  talking 
real  loud." 

"  That's  what  I  thought  at  first,  so  I  began  to 
pound  on  the  door  with  my  gun.  Instantly  the  talk 
ing  stopped  but  the  door  was  not  opened,  so  I 
pounded  again,  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  shouted  too, 
but  my  voice  was  pretty  weak  by  this  time,  I  guess. 
At  last  the  door  was  opened  just  the  tiniest  crack 
and  a  gruff  voice  said,  '  WHAT  D'YE  WANT  ?  *  Just 
like  that,  '  WHAT  D'YE  WANT  ? ' 

"  They  wasn't  very  polite,  was  they  ?  " 

"  That's  just  what  I  thought,  so  I  said,  *  Let  me 
in,  please  ' —  I  was  glad  I  remembered  the  '  please  ' 
— '  I'm  lost  in  the  woods  and  almost  starved  and 
frozen.' 

"  I  heard  more  low  talking  and  then  the  voice 
said,  '  Ye  can't  come  in  here,'  and  somebody  tried 
to  shut  the  door  in  my  face,  but  I  managed  to  slip 
my  foot  into  the  crack,  and  so  keep  it  open.  They 
held  the  door  on  the  inside  but  using  all  the  last  of 
my  strength,  I  pushed  it  open,  and  fell  sprawling  on 
the  floor  inside." 

"  Goody !  "  she  cried,  clapping  her  hands. 

"  Well,  you  can't  guess  what  I  saw." 

"Twasn't  the  wildcat,  was  it?"  she  hazarded 
uncertainly. 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS      103 

"  No,  not  the  wildcat,  but  three  of  the  funniest 
looking  women  you  ever  did  see.  One  of  them  was 
very  old  and  all  bent  over  and  wrinkly,  the  second  I 
guessed  was  her  daughter,  for  she  was  about  half  as 
old  and  as  big  and  strong  as  a  man,  and  the  third 
was  her  daughter,  about  as  old  as  Auntie  Lee  I 
should  say,  but,  oh,  so  different.  She  wasn't  nice 
and  sweet  and  pretty,  but  very  big  and  ugly  and 
cross.  They  all  wore  horrid  rough  dresses  made 
out  of  bags,  and  the  room  was  all  bare  except  for 
three  shelves  on  the  wall  where  I  guess  they  slept, 
a  board  table  and  three  stools.  But  there  was  one 
thing  that  pleased  me  to  see.  It  was  a  big  iron  pot 
bubbling  away  merrily  over  a  little  fire  in  a  fire 
place. 

"  They  all  stood  and  scowled  at  me  fearfully,  and 
finally  the  oldest  one  said  in  a  harsh  voice,  *  We 
didn't  ask  you  in,  and  you  can't  have  any  of  our 
supper;  besides  there's  only  just  enough  to  go  'round 
and  not  another  thing  to  eat  in  the  place.' ' 

"  Oh,  the  stingy  old  things,  I  would  have  gave 
you  some  of  mine,  Unke  John.  I  sink  they  was 
meaner  than  Auntie  Lee." 

"  I'm  sure  that  you  would  have  shared  your  por 
ridge —  that's  what  was  in  the  pot  —  with  me, 
sweetheart.  But  they  were  so  stingy,  and  I  was  so 
awfully  hungry,  that  I  got  real  angry  and  said, 
'  Ladies,  I  wouldn't  ask  for  any  of  your  supper  but 


194 MAN  PROPOSES 

for  the  fact  that  I  haven't  had  anything  to  eat  all 
day,  and  am  simply  starving  to  death.'  They  just 
laughed  at  me,  such  a  sneering  sort  of  laugh  that  I 
got  madder  and  madder,  and  finally  walked  right 
over  to  the  pot  and  said,  '  Ladies,  if  you  won't  give 
me  any  supper,  I  declare  to  goodness  I'll  tip  it  over 
and  you  shan't  have  any,  either.' 

"  You  may  imagine  that  this  frightened  them 
dreadfully,  and  after  whispering  together  for  a  mo 
ment  the  youngest  one  said,  real  pleasantly  for  her, 
'  Kind  sir,  if  you  won't  spill  our  supper,  we'll  give 
you  a  chance  to  get  a  share  of  it,  provided  you 
promise  to  agree  to  what  we  say.' 

"  I  couldn't  for  the  life  of  me  guess  what  she 
meant,  but  I  was  so  very  hungry  that  I  promised,  of 
course,  and  she  went  on,  *  We  are  called  the  Three 
Jumping  Women.  Before  every  meal  we  have  a 
jumping  match  to  see  which  shall  have  the  biggest 
helping.  The  one  that  jumps  the  farthest  gets  the 
most,  and  so  on.  Now,  if  you  are  willing  to  jump 
with  us,  and  manage  to  beat  any  one  of  us,  you  may 
have  her  share.' 

"  I  had  never  heard  of  such  a  funny  way  of  get 
ting  a  meal,  but  I  had  promised,  so  I  said  '  all  right,' 
thinking  that  it  ought  to  be  easy  to  beat  women,  for 
I  used  to  be  a  broad  jumper  at  Harvard  with  Uncle 
Bert. 

"  Then   they   got    ready   to   jump.     First   they 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS      195 

moved  the  table  up  against  the  wall,  and  one  of 
them  got  out  a  piece  of  chalk  to  mark  where  each 
landed,  then  the  old  lady  said,  '  You  first,  Alpha.' 
So  the  youngest  of  the  three  stood  up  side  of  the 
fireplace,  and  gave  a  jump  away  out  into  the  middle 
of  the  room  —  about  as  far  as  across  the  piazza,  I 
should  think.  This  was  a  pretty  long  jump  for  a 
woman  to  make  and  it  surprised  me  awfully,  but 
I  thought  I  might  be  able  to  beat  it.  Then  the  old 
one  said  again  — '  You  next,  Beta,'  and  the  middle- 
aged  one  got  ready,  and,  to  my  consternation  — " 

"  What's  constern  — " 

"  I  mean  it  frightened  me,  for  she  jumped  nearly 
a  foot  farther.  This  was  a  mighty  long  jump  for 
any  one,  and  I  was  pretty  worried  and  saw  my  meal 
vanishing  rapidly.  She  looked  sort  of  pleased  over 
it  and  said,  *  Now  it's  your  turn,  Gamma,' —  or,  per 
haps,  it  was  '  Grandma,'  I  didn't  quite  catch  it. 

"  The  old,  old  woman  hobbled  to  the  wall  and 
crouched  down  into  a  little  heap,  but  when  she  did 
jump,  my  goodness,  she  went  a-flying  through  the 
air  clear  across  the  hut  —  at  least  as  far  as  the  drive 
way  out  there.  Now  I  was  frightened  indeed,  for 
I  didn't  think  that  I  could  possibly  jump  that  far, 
and  I  was  fearfully  hungry,  too. 

"  They  all  looked  at  me  and  laughed  again,  as 
much  as  to  say,  '  There  now,  see  if  you  can  beat 
that'  This  made  me  ripping  mad,  for  not  only 


196 MAN  PROPOSES 

was  I  hungry  enough  to  eat  the  jamb  off  the  door, 
but  somehow  I've  always  hated  to  be  beaten  in  jump 
ing  by  an  old  lady.  So  I  took  my  place  and  after 
balancing  for  a  moment  gave  a  tremendous  leap." 
Here  I  very  nearly  bounced  little  Janet  out  of  my 
lap  in  my  own  excitement. 

"  I  went  sailing  through  space  across  the  floor 
and  just  as  I  thought  I  was  going  to  go  bang  up 
against  the  door,  the  old  woman  flung  it  wide  open, 
and  out  into  the  deep  snow  I  went  sprawling. 

"  I  was  somewhat  dazed  by  my  fall  and  when  I 
recovered  enough  to  pick  myself  up  and  turn 
around,  the  door  was  shut  tight,  and  I  could  hear 
those  terrible  women  inside  the  hut,  laughing  fit  to 
kill  themselves." 

"  And  you  didn't  get  any  supper  ?  "  wailed  the  lit 
tle  maiden  almost  in  tears. 

"  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  did,"  I  said,  invent 
ing  a  rather  lame  postlude  to  sooth  her  harrowed 
feelings  on  my  behalf.  "  The  other  fellows  who 
had  been  hunting  for  me  all  day,  finally  found  me 
just  before  I  starved  to  death,  but  they  couldn't  find 
any  trace  of  the  hut  of  the  Three  Jumping  Women." 

"John  Alden  Shaw  aren't  you  ashamed  to  tell 
such  a  wild  tale  to  a  credulous  little  maid  ?  "  said  a 
laughing  voice  in  the  window  behind  us,  and  I  turned 
in  consternation  to  face  Miss  Marion,  fairly  burst 
ing  with  merriment. 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  OCCURS      197 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  how  long  have  you  been 
there?"  I  asked  in  alarm,  thinking  back  over  the 
first  part  of  our  conversation. 

"  Oh,  I  arrived  at  this  point  of  vantage  about  the 
middle  of  your  story,  I  should  guess,  and  couldn't 
resist  the  impulse  to -hear  the  end  of  your  weird  and 
wonderful  adventure.  But  apparently  eavesdrop 
pers  sometimes  hear  more  than  is  good  for  them, 
and  I'd  like  to  know  what  on  earth  Janie  meant 
by  saying  that  the  old  women  were  even  meaner 
than  I." 

"  That's  our  secret,"  I  responded  hastily.  "  We 
have  a  great  many  secrets,  you  know." 

"  Yes,"  broke  in  Janet,  "  one  of  them's  that  we're 
'gaged  to  be  married." 

"  Now,  isn't  that  lovely  ?  I  am  sure  I  congratu 
late  you  both." 

"  Thank  you,  Auntie  Lee.  But  I  only  got  'gaged 
to  him  after  he  said  you  wouldn't  have  him.  I'll 
give  him  up,  if  you  want,"  she  added  with  true 
Christian  generosity. 

Miss  Lee's  face  flamed  at  this  naive  suggestion, 
and  she  hurried  to  reply,  "  Oh,  I  couldn't  think  of 
robbing  you,  nor  being  second  choice,  so  you  may 
keep  him." 

Generally  I  swore  inwardly  when  any  one  inter 
rupted  our  tete-a-tetes,  but  this  time  I  blessed  Bert, 
as,  just  at  this  very  opportune  moment  he  came 


198 MAN  PROPOSES 

around  the  corner  and  put  an  end  to  a  most  em 
barrassing  situation. 

"  Come  on,  John,"  he  cried,  "  let's  have  a  wee  bit 
round  of  golf  before  lunch." 

"  Can't  do  it.  You  seem  to  forget  that  the  ten 
nis  tourney  starts  day  after  to-morrow,  and  I'm 
going  to  the  Casino  and  see  if  I  can't  get  up  a  prac 
tice  match  with  one  of  the  professionals.  Goodness 
knows  that  I  need  it." 

"  Well,  I'll  make  it  tennis  to  oblige  you." 

"  I  said  that  I  wanted  some  real  practice,  young 
man." 

"  Squelched,"  said  he  with  a  simulated  meekness. 
"  How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  is  man's  in 
gratitude.  Get  thee  gone  then,  I'm  through  with 
you," — and,  with  formal  adieux,  I  went. 


CHAPTER  XV 

IN   WHICH   OF  TWO    MORE   ENGAGEMENTS 

SOME  people  a  man  may  see  every  day  for  a  year, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  period  feel  that  he  does  not 
really  know  them.  A  week  or  less  in  the  com 
pany  of  others  brings  the  sense  of  intimate  acquaint 
anceship. 

Mr.  Hammond  was  of  the  latter  variety.  When 
I  returned  to  his  home  that  morning  and  found 
that  he  was  nowhere  about,  so  sure  of  my  stand 
ing  there  did  I  feel  that  I  had  no  hesitancy  in  re 
questing  the  chauffeur  to  take  me  over  to  the  Ca 
sino,  as  though  I  myself  were  the  owner  of  the  car. 
We  went  by  the  way  of  Thames  Street,  where  I  de 
sired  to  make  a  small  purchase  or  two. 

Strange  though  it  may  appear,  at  least  two  mat 
ters  of  primary  importance  had  been  wholly  driven 
from  my  mind  by  the  incidents  of  the  morning  and 
the  thoughts  to  which  they  gave  rise,  but  now  the 
sight  of  the  United  States  Hotel  on  one  side  of  the 
street  and  the  Western  Union  office  on  the  other, 
brought  them  back  with  a  rush. 

I  stopped  at  the  latter  place  and  upon  giving  my 
199 


200  MAN  PROPOSES 

name  was  handed  a  telegram  hot  off  the  wire  from 
Petersburg.     It  ran,  "  INSTRUCTIONS  RECEIVED  I'M 

ON  LETTER  FOLLOWS  CARE  GENERAL  DELIVERY  NEW 
PORT." 

With  a  feeling  of  deep  satisfaction  and  elation  I 
started  across  the  street  toward  the  hotel,  and,  just 
as  I  reached  the  entrance,  ran  into  the  loquacious 
sleuth  emerging  therefrom. 

He  was  sober  enough  this  time,  the  day  being  still 
young,  but  was  soon  to  become  soberer  still,  for, 
after  we  had  greeted  each  other  formally,  I  told  him 
as  kindly  as  possible,  but  a  bit  triumphantly,  that  I 
had,  myself,  succeeded  in  locating  Mrs.  Willard, 
that  therefore  his  services  would  be  no  longer  re 
quired,  and  that  I  intended  to  write  Mr.  Willard 
to  that  effect  immediately. 

Despite  his  former  protestations  that  he  was  dead 
sick  of  his  job  and  extremely  anxious  to  get  through 
with  it,  he  appeared  decidedly  downcast  on  hear 
ing  that  the  goose  which  laid  the  golden  egg  was 
dead  —  for  him  —  and  this  fact  seemed  to  trouble 
him  infinitely  more  than  that  a  mere  layman  had 
succeeded  where  he,  the  world's  greatest  detective, 
had  failed. 

I  had  just  entered  the  car  again  and  was  demo 
cratically  shaking  hands  with  Air.  Sherlock,  whose 
red  and  bibulous  countenance  was  scarcely  a  thing 
of  beauty,  when  another  motor,  driven  by  Manners, 


TWO  MORE  ENGAGEMENTS      201 

approached  from  behind  us,  slowed  up,  and  I  heard 
his  sarcastic  voice  saying  in  a  low  tone,  "  Ah,  I  see 
that  you  have  a  wide  and  varied  acquaintance  in 
Newport,  Mr.  Shaw.  Why  don't  you  introduce  me 
to  your  friend?  " 

"  You  might  find  him  a  valuable  acquisition  to 
your  list,  Mr.  Manners,"  was  my  reply.  "  He's  a 
detective." 

Manners  muttered  something  I  took  to  be  an  oath, 
and  speeded  up,  and  I  laughed  to  myself  at  having 
scored  this  hit. 

I  then  continued  to  the  Casino  where,  before  don 
ning  my  flannels  for  my  practice,  I  went  up  to  the 
writing-room  and  penned  a  short  and  non-commit 
tal  note  to  my  employer,  stating  that  success  had 
crowned  my  preliminary  efforts,  and  that,  through 
the  patronage  of  a  favoring  Goddess  of  Fortune,  I 
was  already  on  the  high-road  to  Mrs.  Willard's  con 
fidence. 

The  balance  of  the  daylight  hours  brought  forth 
nothing  out  of  the  ordinary.  I  played  my  prac 
tice  match,  performing  therein  with  a  discourag-  . 
ing  erraticalness,  dressed,  and  dined  in  solitary  state 
at  Bergers',  where  the  music  by  the  Hungarian  or 
chestra  soothed  my  injured  feelings  a  little,  re 
turned  to  the  Casino,  tried  to  read  the  latest  maga 
zines,  failed,  loafed  about  a  bit  and  renewed  a  few 
old  acquaintances  with  several  of  the  contestants 


202 MAN  PROPOSES 

in  the  coming  tourney,  who,  like  me,  had  arrived 
a  little  early,  and  arranged  and  played  a  second 
practice  match,  this  time  against  a  Southerner  who 
had  not  been  on  turf  that  season  and  so  was  a  shade 
worse  than  I,  which  encouraged  me  materially. 

All  this  time  I  was  having  to  exert  my  strongest 
will  power  to  counteract  the  attractive  force  which 
was  constantly  pulling  me  toward  the  Aldriches',  but 
I  was  determined  to  keep  away  until  the  morrow  at 
least,  lest  I  wear  out  my  welcome. 

At  six  I  returned  home  and  partook  of  an  early 
and  quiet  dinner  with  my  host,  who  had  to  leave 
immediately  after  it  for  a  function  to  which  I  had 
not  been  bidden,  and,  left  alone,  I  went  out  of 
doors  and  strolled  about,  aimlessly  smoking  count 
less  cigarettes  to  while  away  the  time. 

There,  in  the  gathering  twilight,  the  demon  of 
utter  loneliness  seized  hold  upon  me.  For  the  first 
time  I  realized  that  I  was  wholly  dissatisfied  with 
my  lot  in  life,  that  my  existence,  which  I  had  al 
ways  thitherto  regarded  as  so  "  full  of  a  number  of 
things,"  as  Mr.  Thomas  had  put  it,  was  weary, 
stale,  flat  and  unprofitable,  an  aching  void,  a  desert 
of  dreariness,  empty  of  everything  which  made  the 
living  worth  the  while.  There  is  no  getting  away 
from  it,  a  man  in  love  is  a  sad  contradiction,  now 
raised  to  the  heights,  now  cast  down  to  the  lowest 
depths. 


TWO  MORE  ENGAGEMENTS      203 

For  a  while  I  brooded  moodily  over  the  cursed 
inequalities  of  this  world.  Why,  since  I  was 
neither  rich  nor  in  the  possession  of  any  expecta 
tions  of  ever  becoming  so,  had  Fate  mocked  me 
by  decreeing  that  my  first  real  passion  should  have 
as  its  object  one  of  such  exalted  estate,  so  lovely, 
and  wealthy? 

Plunged  into  the  depths  of  such  gloomy  thoughts 
as  these,  I  walked  out  into  the  road  and  on  and  on, 
wholly  unconscious  of  direction,  until  suddenly  I 
found  myself  turning  into  the  driveway  at  the 
Aldriches'.  This  brought  me  back  to  earth  with  a 
start,  the  phrase  from  Shelley's  "  Lines  to  an  In 
dian  Air,"  springing  unbidden  to  my  mind,  "  And  a 
spirit  in  my  feet,  has  led  me,  who  knows  how?  to 
thy  chamber  window  sweet." 

"  Since  you  have  come  so  far,"  whispered  a 
tempting  voice  inside,  "  you  might  as  well  go  on." 
My  resistance  to  this  plea  was  merely  nominal,  and, 
after  a  very  brief  struggle,  I  went. 

I  found  Ethel  alone  on  the  veranda,  and  she  wel 
comed  me  with  a  natural  simplicity  and  frank 
friendliness  which  went  a  long  way  toward  indi 
cating  that  the  fears  which  had  formed  a  basis  for 
my  decision  to  stay  away  were  merely  creatures  of 
my  own  imagination.  Nevertheless  I  felt  con 
strained  to  justify  my  presence  there  so  soon  again 
—  to  myself,  at  least  —  by  saying  apologetically, 


204 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  I  had  to  run  over  for  a  moment  to  say  '  good 
night  '  to  my  little  sweetheart.  I  suppose  you  have 
been  told  that  Janet  and  I  are  'gaged  now." 

"  Yes,  I've  heard  the  wonderful  news,  and,  of 
course,  I'm  delighted,  John  —  I  may  call  you  John 
now,  may  I  not?  As  your  future  mother-in-law 
I  ought  to  kiss  you,  but  as  it's  still  light  and  such 
an  act  might  give  rise  to  gossip,  I'll  postpone 
that  pleasure.  Be  good  to  my  little  girl,  won't 
you?" 

"  You  bet  I  will  —  excuse  me  —  Janet  told  me 
this  morning  that  you  don't  approve  of  the  expres 
sion  '  you  bet.' ' 

"  Quite  right.  You  see,  that  as  a  member  of 
my  family  you  will  have  to  mind  your  '  P's  and 
Q's.'  But  if  you  really  want  to  say  good  night  to 
Janie  come  on  up  with  me.  I'm  just  going  to  tuck 
her  into  bed." 

I  gladly  went  with  her  to  the  little  blue  and  white 
bedroom  where  my  'gaged  slept,  but  scarcely  had 
we  reached  it  when  a  maid  appeared  announcing 
that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntington  had  called  to  con 
fer  with  Mrs.  Gary  about  some  charity,  and  that 
they  could  stay  only  a  moment. 

"  Oh,  pshaw,  John,  it  seems  as  though  some 
thing  was  always  calling  me  away  from  this,  the 
greatest  pleasure  of  my  whole  day.  You  may  as 
well  get  broken  in  as  a  family  man.  Stay  and  hear 


Janet's  prayers  and  get  her  to  bed  if  I  don't  get  back 
before,  will  you?  " 

I  assented  with  some  embarrassment,  but  my 
little  sweetheart  showed  none,  and  was  instantly 
kneeling  by  my  side,  her  little  pink  feet  protrud 
ing  from  her  snowy  nightie,  saying  her  "  Now  I  lay 
me." 

A  big  lump  rose  in  my  throat.  This  loving,  con 
fiding  child  at  my  knee  brought  back  more  poign 
antly  than  ever  all  the  sense  of  utter  lonesome- 
ness  that  I  had  been  experiencing,  and  as  I  gently 
caressed  her  golden  curls  while  she  babbled  the 
homely  prayer,  the  thought  burst  upon  me  that  I 
wanted  even  more  than  the  love  and  comradeship 
of  a  wife;  I  wanted  children. 

I  gave  little  Janet  a  good-night  kiss,  her  soft, 
warm  arms  hugging  my  neck  tightly,  and  she  was 
in  the  fairyland  of  dreams  before  I  had  finished 
tucking  the  sheet  about  her. 

In  spite  of  my  loneliness  I  somehow  felt  that  I 
wanted  to  be  left  to  myself  and  so  sneaked  quietly 
downstairs  and  was  just  passing  through  the  big 
hallway  when  Bert  caught  sight  of  me  from  the 
music-room. 

"  Who  goes  there,  friend  or  foe  ?  "  he  shouted, 
covering  me  with  an  imaginary  revolver  in  the  shape 
of  his  forefinger. 

"  Friend,"  I  answered. 


206 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  Advance,  friend,  and  give  the  countersign." 

"  Sweet  spirits  of  nitre,"  was  my  reply,  the  first 
absurdity  that  popped  into  my  head. 

"  Right !  Sit  down,  friend ;  take  a  weight  off. 
your  feet  and  smoke  a  pipe  of  peace." 

"  Can't  do  it,  old  man,"  I  responded,  sinking  into 
a  chair  and  accepting  the  cigar  which  he  held  out. 
"  Got  to  go  right  along." 

"  So  I  see.  And  now,  having  settled  that  point, 
give  an  account  of  yourself  to-day.  Why  haven't 
you  shown  up?  My  women- folk  have  been  crying 
their  eyes  out  over  your  neglect." 

"  Fine  chance !  Do  you  suppose  I  want  to  camp 
here  until  you  all  regard  me  as  a  pest  ?  " 

"  You  needn't  begin  to  worry  over  that  happen 
ing  yet,"  broke  in  Miss  Marion. 

"  And  even  if  you  do  become  one,  I'm  certain 
sure  Marion  would  be  glad  to  add  you  to  her  col 
lection.  I  understand  that  she  owns  the  finest  col 
lection  of  assorted  pests  extant,"  added  Bert. 

"  You  ought  to  know,  dear,"  she  replied  sweetly, 
"  since  you're  the  charter  member  of  that  organiza 
tion." 

"Help!  I  should  think  that  by  this  time  I 
would  have  sense  enough  not  to  leave  an  opening 
like  that.  Now  you've  simply  got  to  stay  and  lend 
me  your  moral  support,  surrounded  as  I  am  on  all 
sides  by  the  enemy,  and  as  Mr.  Kipling  so  well  said, 


TWO  MORE  ENGAGEMENTS      207 

*  The  female  of  the  species  is  more  deadly  than  the 
male/  as  you'll  learn  if  you  live  long  enough. 
Come  on,  make  a  day  of  it  —  I  don't  mean  a  day 
of  twenty-four  hours,  of  course,"  he  added  hastily, 
"  even  my  liberal  nature  could  not  countenance  your 
staying  until  four  A.  M.  to-morrow." 

"  I'll  accept  on  just  one  condition,  that  you  all 
come  with  me  to  Freebody  Park  as  my  guests  this 
evening." 

"  Agreed  for  the  crowd,"  was  his  reply.  "  I'll 
telephone  down  for  seats.  What  do  you  want? 
Peanut  gallery  ?  " 

"Of  course,  but  if  you  can't  get  those,  compro 
mise  on  a  box.  And  at  the  same  time  order  a  taxi, 
won't  you  ?  " 

'  Yes,  I  won't.  I  guess  that  we  can  provide  the 
means  of  conveyance,  with  a  stable  full  of  motor 
cars  simply  eating  their  heads  off." 

"Don't  you  think  that  you  could  go,  dear?  It 
would  do  you  good,"  Marion  asked  of  her  sister. 

"  No,  I  think  I  had  better  not.  Bed  is  the  best 
place  for  little  folks  like  me."  I  joined  my  request 
to  Marion's,  but  Margaret  was  not  to  be  persuaded. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aldrich  also  refused  on  the  ground 
that  they  were  getting  too  old  for  such  frivolities, 
and  Bert  departed  to  return  in  a  moment  with  word 
that  the  car  would  be  around  for  us  in  half  an 
hour. 


208 MAN  PROPOSES 

He  continued,  "  Just  to  prove  that  I,  at  least,  am 
not  yet  weary  of  your  company  I'll  swallow  my 
pride  and  renew  my  invitation  for  a  game  of  golf 
or  tennis  to-morrow  morning.  Being  Sunday,  and 
my  fond  parents  still  imbued  with  antiquated  ideas 
concerning  its  observance,  such  wicked  relaxations 
as  theaters,  cards  and  dancing  are  tabooed  here,  and 
we  have  to  content  ourselves  with  such  harmless 
recreations  as  tennis,  golf,  motoring,  riding  and  the 
like." 

"  And  I  invite  you  to  go  to  church  with  us,"  said 
Miss  Margaret. 

"  And  I  accept  the  latter  invitation,  being  some 
what  old-fashioned  myself,"  I  responded  promptly. 

"  Thwarted  again.  What's  the  use  of  a  mere 
man  trying  to  butt  up  against  the  eternal  feminine. 
But  fie  upon  you,  John,  I'm  surprised  that  an  atheist 
like  you  should  abnegate  his  principles  merely  to  be 
in  company  with  lovely  women." 

"An  atheist?  What  are  you  trying  to  do,  ruin 
my  reputation  ?  " 

"Well,  agnostic  then.  If  my  memory  serves  me, 
it  was  you  who  pretty  nearly  broke  up  the  class  in 
philosophy  once  by  a  wholly  uncalled  for  disserta 
tion  on  the  subject  of  religion." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  us,  Bert,  that  there  is  really 
a  man  alive  not  afraid  to  speak  his  mind  on  the 
one  most  important  subject  in  the  world?  " 


TWO  MORE  ENGAGEMENTS     209 

"  He  stands  —  or  rather,  sits  —  before  you  in 
flesh  and  blood.  Look  at  him  well,  ladies.  You 
may  never  see  his  like  again." 

"  What  have  you  got  to  say  in  answer  to  this 
serious  charge?"  said  Ethel,  sternly. 

"  Guilty !  I  may  be  unique,  but  although  I  have 
never  flaunted  my  ideas  in  public,  in  spite  of  Bert's 
remark,  I  admit  that  it  has  always  seemed  peculiar 
to  me  somehow  that  the  average  normal  young  per 
son,  either  man  or  woman,  never  mentions  the 
name  of  their  God  outside  of  church  —  except  in 
profanity,  of  course  —  without  giving  the  impres 
sion  that  he  —  or  she  —  is  fearfully  embarrassed 
and  ought  to  apologize  for  the  slip." 

"  That's  a  sad  truth,  Mr.  Shaw,"  interposed  mild 
little  Mrs.  Aldrich.  "  This  is  a  terribly  frivolous 
age,  and  I  don't  know  what  we  are  coming  to." 

"  I  think  that  we  are  coming  to  a  very  great 
change  for  the  better,  Mrs.  Aldrich.  I  don't  pre 
tend  to  be  a  prophet  or  anything  like  -that  and  I 
may  be  wrong,  but  serious  thinkers  —  don't  laugh, 
Bert,  I'm  not  classing  myself  with  them  —  seem  to 
agree  that  we  are  just  beginning  to  feel  the  ground 
swell  which  is  the  forecourser  of  a  mighty  tidal 
wave  of  awakened  individual,  and  social  conscience, 
internationalism  and  real  religious  feeling.  I  don't 
mean  that  we  can  look  for  the  millennium  next  week 
or  next  year,  but  better  things  are  coming.  The 


210 MAN  PROPOSES 

present  materialistic  order  may  die  hard  and  prob 
ably  will,  but  its  death  throes  will  be  the  birth  pains 
of  a  new  and  better  era." 

"  Yes,  it  certainly  looks  very  much  that  way 
now,"  answered  Bert  sarcastically.  "  Europe  an 
armed  camp,  the  nations  itching  for  an  excuse  to 
fly  at  each  others'  throats,  America  ditto  with  cap 
ital  and  labor  in  a  death  grapple,  sensualism  and 
worldliness  rampant,  and  the  whole  shooting  match 
going  to  the  tarnation  bow-wows." 

"  You've  described  the  attitude  of  the  perpetual 
pessimist  to  a  T,  but  I  know  and  you  know  that  you 
don't  believe  it  yourself.  Didn't  you  ever  hear  the 
saying  *  darkest  just  before  dawn'?" 

"  Yours  is  a  comforting  doctrine,  anyway,"  put  in 
Marion. 

"Yes,  it  is  the  belief  of  an  optimist,  but  don't 
give  me  credit  for  it." 

"  But  why  should  Bert  have  said  that  you 
were  an  agnostic,  Mr.  Shaw?"  persisted  Mrs.  Al- 
drich. 

"Oh,  he  was  joking;  he  didn't  mean  it,  Mrs. 
Aldrich,  except  perhaps  in  the  literal  sense  of 
'  one  who  admits  that  he  doesn't  know.'  In  that 
sense  even  a  true  believer  in  religion  may  be  an  ag 
nostic,  I  suppose." 

"  Well,  anyway,  you  know  that  you  did  knock  the 
accepted  principles  of  religious  belief,  old  man,  al- 


though  I  can't  remember  just  what  it  was  all  about 
now,"  he  said  in  self-defense. 

"  That  is  evident,  or  you  wouldn't  say  that  '  I 
knocked '  any  religious  principles.  I  didn't,  never 
have,  never  shall.  As  I  recall,  I  said  that  I  couldn't 
ascribe  to  many  of  the  accepted  ideas  and  beliefs  in 
cidental  to  our  religion  as  it  is  generally  preached 
and  believed,  and  Professor  James  made  me  eluci 
date,  to  my  great  dismay." 

"  All  right,  then  I'll  hedge  once  more  and  get  it 
right  at  last  by  explaining  that  you  '  merely  knocked 
the  accepted  ideas  and  beliefs  incidental  to  our  re 
ligion  as  it  is  commonly  preached  and  believed.' 
Dost  that  suit  your  highness  ?  " 

"  No !  To  be  entirely  right,  my  boy,  you've  got 
to  go  a  step  further  still.  I  didn't  knock  at  all;  I 
merely  said  that  I  personally  could  not  agree  with 
and  ascribe  to  them." 

"  You  arouse  my  interest  and  curiosity,  Mr. 
Shaw,"  said  my  host.  "  Would  you  object  to  go 
ing  a  little  further  yourself  and  explaining  what  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  please  do,  Mr.  Shaw,"  Miss  Margaret 
added  her  word  of  entreaty.  "  It  will  at  least  be 
refreshing  to  hear  a  young  man  talk  on  some  sub 
ject  other  than  shop,  sport  or  sentimentality,  which, 
with  gossip,  seem  to  be  the  only  topics  of  conversa 
tion  indulged  m  nowadays." 


"  Good  Lord,  I've  put  my  foot  in  it  again,  and  as 
usual !  "  groaned  Bert.  "  John  is  the  direct  de 
scendant  of  one  of  those  ranting  Puritans  —  that 
noble  army  of  martyrs  who  came  over  in  the  May 
flower  to  this  hitherto  happy  country,  to  worship 
God  in  their  own  way,  and  make  everybody  else 
worship  him  in  their  way,  too.  If  he  ever  gets 
started  sermonizing,  good  night  vaudeville  show." 

"  Don't  be  too  concerned,  Bert,"  I  replied,  begin 
ning  to  feel  as  much  embarrassment  as  any  one  of 
the  general  public  against  which  I  had  been  inveigh 
ing.  "  I  had  no  desire  to  air  my  views,  nor  to 
preach  what  I  try  to  practice.  I  hope  that  my  in 
terrogators  will  let  me  off  on  saying  that  I  don't 
profess  to  be  a  saint  myself,  I  hate  the  kind  of  hy 
pocrisy  which  passes  so  often  for  religion,  and  that  I 
believe  that  a  man's  religion,  if  it  means  anything  to 
him,  should  not  be  carefully  hidden  under  a  bushel 
six  days  in  the  week  and  taken  out,  dusted  and  set  on 
a  candlestick  for  an  hour  or  two  on  the  seventh. 
One's  immortal  soul,  it  seems  to  me,  is  in  one  respect 
precisely  like  one  of  his  muscles.  Give  it  proper  and 
consistent  exercise  and  it  will  expand  and  grow 
stronger,  but  ignore  its  existence  and  it  will  shrivel 
to  flabby  uselessness." 

"  Very  true,  but  you  are  not  going  to  escape  that 
easy,  John,"  broke  in  Ethel.  "  As  your  mother-in- 
law-to-be  I  think  that  I  have  a  right  to  sit  as  a 


TWO  MORE  ENGAGEMENTS      213 

national  board  of  censors  upon  all  your  theories.  I 
don't  want  any  Bob  Ingersoll  marrying  my  daugh 
ter,  so  begin  at  once." 

"  Oh,  come  now,  you're  not  in  earnest,"  I  said, 
squeaming  inwardly.  The  response  was  heartily  af 
firmative,  and,  at  last,  with  considerable  hesitation, 
I  said,  "  Well,  supposing  you  ask  me  some  questions 
and  I'll  do  my  best  to  explain  just  where  I  cannot 
follow  all  the  generally  accepted  beliefs  called  by 
the  name  of  religion." 

"Very  well,  then,  I'll  start  the  ball  a-rolling," 
began  Bert  cheerfully.  "  Do  you  believe  that  Jonah 
swallowed  the  whale  ?  " 

"  Albert,  you  were  not  brought  up  to  treat  serious 
subjects  like  religion  with  levity,"  reprimanded  his 
mother.  "  Do  you,  Mr.  Shaw  — " 

Her  question  was  interrupted  by  a  vigorous  honk 
ing  from  the  direction  of  the  driveway  without,  and 
Bert  sprang  to  his  feet,  laughingly  patting  his 
mother's  cheek  and  crying,  "  My  lord  and  ladies, 
the  auto  waits  and  so  can  John's  dissertation,  but  a 
vaudeville  show  —  like  time  and  tide  —  waits  for 
no  man.  Come  along." 

With  an  inward  relief  as  great  as  his  own  I  rose. 

Mrs.  Aldrich  sighed  softly,  saying,  "  I  suppose 
that  we'll  have  to  excuse  you,  but  this  incident  is 
wonderfully  typical  of  the  attitude  of  this  whole  age. 
A  show  inevitably  takes  precedence  over  what 


214 MAN  PROPOSES 

should  be  the  most  serious  and  important  thing  in 
our  lives." 

And  I  could  not  but  agree  in  my  heart  that  she 
was  right. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IN   WHICH    PRIDE  GOETH    BEFORE  A   FALL 

IT  may  have  been  merely  the  natural  exuberance 
of  spirits  of  four  fun-loving  young  people  on  pleas 
ure  bent,  or,  perhaps,  the  reaction  from  the  unusual 
seriousness  of  our  recent  conversation,  but  from 
whatsoever  cause,  our  visit  to  Freebody  Park  was 
attended  with  wild  hilarity. 

The  show  itself,  as  I  remember  it,  was  of  a  de 
cidedly  mediocre  variety,  but  we  needed  no  help 
from  the  other  side  of  the  footlights  to  keep  us  in 
a  perpetual  state  of  giggles  and  merriment.  Bert 
was  a  whole  show  in  himself,  and  his  running  stream 
of  side  remarks  at  the  labored  efforts  of  the  paid 
performers  were  so  provocative  of  mirth  that  we 
must  have  been  public  nuisances  —  or  would  have 
but  for  the  fact  that  the  occupants  of  the  boxes  at 
the  Park  seldom  pay  any  serious  attention  to  what 
is  passing  on  the  stage,  anyway.  Many  of  our 
neighbors  knew  Ethel  and  Bert  intimately  and  sent 
glances  and  even  words  of  tolerant  amusement  in 
our  direction,  apparently  ascribing  our  behavior  to 

an  over-generous  indulgence  in  cocktails  at  dinner. 

215 


216 MAN  PROPOSES 

Marion  alone  tried  occasionally  —  and  f utilely  — 
to  stem  the  tide  of  our  boisterous  gayety,  and  finally 
said  in  despair,  "  Bert  Aldrich,  beware  how  you  give 
way  to  this  inordinate  worldly  gayety,  or  your  im 
mortal  soul  will  surely  shrivel." 

"  Let  it  shriv,  then.  I've  simply  got  to  do  some 
thing  to  offset  the  sobering  effect  of  John's  recent 
lecture,  or  I'll  find  myself  running  away  and  join 
ing  a  convent  — " 

"  You  mean  monastery,  don't  you  ?  " 

"I,  a  monastery?  Not  on  your  life.  I  meant 
just  what  I  said,  and  just  think  what  a  heart-break 
ing  loss  that  would  be  to  the  Great  White  Way, 
and  how  many  choreens  would  starve  to  death  with 
their  steady  meal  ticket  gone.  Besides,  why  pick 
on  me?  John's  last  jest  was  infinitely  worse  than 
any  I've  perpetrated  to  date,  although  I've  almost 
thought  of  one  which  will  simply  make  you  scream." 

How  changed  circumstances  affect  one's  point  of 
view!  Many  a  time  I  had  sat  behind  the  barrier 
which  separates  the  favored  boxholders  from  the 
common  herd  in  the  stalls,  and  inwardly  cursed  the 
society  folk  whose  constant  chatter  detracted  so 
much  from  the  enjoyment  of  the  show.  Yet  now, 
without  a  thought  for  others,  I  was  myself  acting 
in  precisely  the  manner  that  had  once  so  disgusted 
me. 

Thus  time  passed  on  wings  until  the  big  act  on 


BEFORE  A  FALL;         217 

the  bill,  a  widely  advertised  dancer,  was  next  in 
order.  When  the  placards  bearing  her  name  were 
placed  on  the  two  easels  at  either  side  of  the  stage, 
we  calmed  down  a  little,  prepared  to  give  more  at 
tention  to  the  performance  of  this  apparently  fa 
mous  terpsichorean  expert. 

Her  first  number  was  commonplace  and  harmless 
enough,  but  thereafter  followed  a  series  of  bodily 
contortions,  performed  in  a  most  abbreviated  cos 
tume,  which,  by  no  stretch  of  the  imagination,  could 
be  called  graceful,  pleasing,  or  even  dancing. 

I  won't  pretend  to  say  whether  I  should  or  should 
not  have  been  amused  by  it  had  I  been  alone,  or 
with  men  only,  but,  in  the  company  as  it  was  con 
stituted,  the  exhibition  was  a  torture  to  me,  and 
alternate  hot  and  cold  waves  of  shame  and  embar 
rassment  passed  over  me.  We  all  of  us  felt,  ap 
parently,  that  to  leave  would  have  been  too  pointed, 
for  no  one  made  a  move  in  that  direction,  but  I  re 
joiced  to  see,  by  a  covert  glance,  that  Marion  would 
not  even  look  at  the  performer  but  had  turned  away 
from  the  stage  and  was  reading  her  program 
earnestly. 

When  the  dance  — if  dance  it  could  be  called  — 
was  over  I  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  but  I  was  de 
cidedly  premature,  for  the  star,  having  thrown  a 
cloak  about  her,  began  to  throw  broadcast  into  the 
audience  mementoes  of  her  act  in  the  shape  of  those 


218 MAN  PROPOSES 

articles  accessory  to  wearing  apparel  made  famous 
by  the  British  order  whose  motto  is,  "  Honi  soit  qu'i 
mal  y  pense." 

Many  of  the  men  spectators  displayed  their 
proficiency  as  ball  players  and  so  obtained  one  of 
her  favors,  until  she  had  only  one  left  to  throw,  and 
this  came  sailing  straight  into  our  box. 

Bert  intercepted  it,  and  upon  examination  dis 
covered  a  card  attached  thereto  on  which  was  writ 
ten,  "  Dear  Johnny.  I  seen  and  recognized  you  be 
fore  the  act.  If  you  can  shake  your  lady  friend 
after  the  show,  come  around  to  No.  —  Beach 
Street  and  we'll  have  a  cozy  little  bird  and  bottle  like 
we  used  to." 

This  broke  the  tension  a  little  and  we  all  began 
to  jolly  Bert  in  the  most  approved  fashion  over  his 
latest  conquest,  he,  himself,  entering  into  the  fun 
at  his  expense  with  ardor,  but,  after  a  moment, 
turned  the  card  over  and  exclaimed  in  astonish 
ment,  "  Here,  this  billet  doux  wasn't  meant  for  me 
at  all,  but  for  you,  John !  "  and  he  read  aloud,  "  Mr. 
John  Alden  Shaw." 

We  burst  into  renewed  laughter  at  this  attempt 
to  put  the  joke  on  me,  but  he  added  seriously,  "  I'm 
not  jesting.  Here,  see  for  yourselves,  if  you  don't 
believe  me,"  and  he  handed  the  souvenir  over  to 
Ethel. 

I  could  not  credit  my  eyesight,  for  the  card  did 


BEFORE  A  FALL  219 

in  fact  bear  the  words  which  he  had  read.  There 
was  a  moment  of  strained  silence.  Then  I  said 
with  a  forced  laugh,  "  Well,  this  is  one  on  me,  all 
right  I  guess  that  the  lady  must  be  a  clairvoyant 
as  well  as  some  other  things.  I'm  sure  I  never  set 
eyes  on  her  before.  It's  safe  to  say  that  once  would 
have  been  enough  —  or  too  much." 

"  Oh,  come  now,"  replied  Bert,  anxious  to  get 
back  at  me  for  his  recent  unmerciful  grueling. 
"  That's  a  likely  story,  and  I'm  surprised  and  grieved 
that  you  would  deny  an  old  friend  like  this.  There 
is  a  chapter  in  John's  life  that  I  wot  not  of  ap 
parently.  Take  me  with  you  when  you  accept  her 
invitation,  won't  you?  Of  course,  you're  going 
yourself?  " 

"  Don't  talk  tommy  rot,"  I  replied  with  unneces 
sary  heat.  "  And  cut  out  the  insinuations.  I  know 
that  you're  only  joking,  but  the  idea  of  ever  hav 
ing  had  a  bird  and  bottle  with  that,  bah!  How  in 
the  dickens  did  she  learn  my  name?  Oh,  come  on, 
let's  get  out  of  here,"  and  so  stirred  up  was  I  that, 
without  waiting  for  the  others  to  agree,  I  jumped 
up  and  led  the  way  from  the  theater,  hardly  know 
ing  whether  to  try  to  treat  the  matter  as  a  joke  or 
give  way  to'  the  real  anger  which  I  felt  over  it. 
One  thing  was  certain,  I  was  thoroughly  disturbed 
over  the  thought  of  what  impression  this  unpleas 
ant  and  inexplicable  incident  had  left  on  the  minds 


220 MAN  PROPOSES 

of  these  two  refined  and  sensitive  girls  —  espe 
cially  Marion's. 

Nor  was  I  to  be  kept  long  in  doubt.  During  the 
ride  home  Ethel  and  Bert  talked  to  me  continually 
in  a  light  vein  of  anything  and  everything,  but  Miss 
Lee  hardly  addressed  me,  and  indeed  spoke  scarcely 
at  all,  and  my  misery  grew  until  I  felt  that  I  could 
return  and  assassinate  the  cause  of  my  disgrace  with 
the  greatest  pleasure. 

Moreover,  I  puzzled  my  brain  over  and  over 
again  without  arriving  at  any  reasonable  or  un 
reasonable  explanation  of  the  affair,  and  when  Miss 
Marion  said,  "  Good  night,  Mr.  Shaw,"  in  a  very 
cold  and  formal  tone,  and  without  offering  me  her 
hand,  I  blurted  out  in  despair,  "  For  Heaven's  sake, 
Miss  Lee,  surely  you  don't  believe — " 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  believe,  Mr.  Shaw,"  and 
with  this  far  from  comforting  remark  she  left  me. 

I  walked  home,  utterly  at  sea  to  find  any  explana 
tion  for  this  singular  occurrence,  and  torn  between 
bitterness  and  distress,  now  angry  over  Miss  Lee's 
unjust  attitude,  and  now  saying  to  myself  that  she 
could  not  possibly  be  blamed,  she  knew  nothing 
about  me  and  the  circumstantial  evidence  against  me 
was  most  certainly  strong  and  convincing. 

The  next  hour  wa$  the  bitterest  I  had  ever  spent, 
and  made  no  less  so  by  the  fact  that  I  was  wholly 
innocent.  I  saw  all  my  beautiful  air  castles  crum- 


BEFORE  A  FALL 221 

bling  into  dry  dust,  and  any  resentment  that  I  had 
theretofore  felt  against  Fate,  shrunk  into  insig 
nificance  beside  that  which  now  possessed  me. 
After  tossing  and  turning  for  an  hour  I  fell  into  a 
disturbed  sleep,  only  to  wake  the  following  morn 
ing  with  the  troubled  consciousness  that  there  was 
something  rotten  in  the  State  of  Denmark.  For  an 
instant  I  could  not  collect  my  thoughts.  Then  the 
sickening  realization  of  the  night  before  came  over 
me  with  a  rush,  and  the  thoughts  with  which  I  had 
fallen  asleep  returned  magnified  and  sinister  de 
spite  the  broad  and  cheerful  sunshine  that  was  flood 
ing  the  room. 

I  dressed  dejectedly  and  went  down  to  breakfast. 
This  time  Mr.  Hammond  was  ahead  of  me,  and, 
as  I  entered,  greeted  my  arrival  with  a  shout  of 
laughter. 

"  What's  the  joke  now  ?  "  I  asked  with  little  en 
thusiasm. 

"  I  guess  from  your  disconsolate  countenance  that 
you  have  seen  the  morning  paper,  but  if  not,  read, 
mark,  learn  and  inwardly  digest  this,"  and  he 
handed  me  the  New  York  Sun  opened  to  a  sporting 
page,  and  indicated  a  column  article  headed,  "  Entry 
List  and  Drawings  for  the  National  Champion 
ship." 

I  skipped  the  lead,  and  my  eyes  ran  rapidly  down 
the  list  of  names.  It  is  remarkable  how  one's  own 


222 MAN  PROPOSES 

cognomen  sticks  out  from  a  printed  list  like  a  sore 
thumb  and  I  found  mine  almost  immediately  and 
read,  J.  A.  Shaw  vs.  winner  W.  B.  Brownley  — 
E.  F.  Manners  match." 

The  thought  immediately  flashed  through  my 
brain,  "  That  brings  me  against  Manners  in  the  sec 
ond  round  as  sure  as  shooting,  for  he  is  bound  to 
win  his  first  match,  and  slim  chance  I've  got  of  win 
ning  from  him  —  which  means  my  exit  right  at 
the  outset."  Truly,  calamities  seldom  come  singly, 
and  it  never  rains  but  it  pours. 

"  I  can  imagine  what  Manners  will  do  to  you," 
laughed  my  host.  "  Have  you  seen  last  week's 
Town  Topics  yet  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  replied,  wondering  what  new  unpleas 
ant  disclosure  was  in  store  for  me. 

He  sent  a  maid  for  it,  and  pointed  out  an  item 
which  read  as  follows :  "  All  Newport  is  chuck 
ling  over  an  incident  which  happened  on  Thursday 
night  at  the  residence  of  one  of  its  leading,  if  not 
most  popular,  bachelors,  who  is  both  a  former  ten 
nis  star  of  National  reputation  but  known  as  a  most 
successful  promoter,  and  all-'round  sportsman.  He 
was  host  at  a  friendly  game  of  auction  which  fol 
lowed  a  select  stag  dinner,  one  of  the  guests  —  in 
vited,  'tis  rumored,  merely  because  staying  with  a 
neighbor  who  was  really  wanted  —  being  a  young 
Bostonian  blessed  with  a  name  made  famous  in 


BEFORE  A  FALL 223 

history.  The  host  and  unwelcome  guest  found 
themselves  pitted  against  one  another  in  play,  which, 
it  is  said,  was  for  comfortably  high  stakes,  and  the 
latter  rose  to  depart  at  midnight  when  slightly  ahead 
of  the  game.  This  led  to  an  accusation  of  poor 
sportsmanship  by  his  entertainer,  the  implication 
was  hotly  denied,  and  the  accused  offered  to  play 
one  more  hand  to  settle  the  score  and  the  possession 
of  the  stakes  for  the  evening,  the  cards  having  al 
ready  been  dealt.  This  was  agreed  to  and  played 
amid  heavy  betting  on  both  sides,  and  the  interloper 
won  from  his  famous  opponent  —  who  considered 
himself  some  expert  —  to  the  tune  of  something 
like  a  thousand  dollars,  which  loss  hurt  consider 
ably  more  than  the  mere  defeat,  it  is  whispered. 
Moral:  Beware  of  the  unsophisticated  youths  from 
Beantown." 

I  read  it  through  twice,  and  then  whistled  say 
ing,  "  Do  you  suppose  that  he  has  seen  this  ?  " 

"  Seen  it?  Of  course  he's  seen  it.  Why,  Toivn 
Topics  is  the  Newporter's  Bible.  He  must  be 
thinking  that  you  were  invented  for  the  particular 
purpose  of  plaguing  him,  and  love  you  correspond- 
ingly." 

"  I  should  say  as  much." 

"  And  I'll  bet  he  looks  on  this  tennis  meeting  as 
arranged  by  a  special  providence  to  give  him  a 
chance  to  take  it  out  of  your  hide.  You'd  better 


224 MAN  PROPOSES 

default  and  dodge  the  licking  as  gracefully  as  possi 
ble." 

"Default?"  I  said  wrathfully.  "Well,  hardly. 
I  can  take  a  defeat,  if  necessary,  but  give  him  the 
satisfaction  of  thinking  that  I  am  afraid  of  him?  I 
guess  not ! " 

"  That's  the  way  to  talk,  and  I  expected  as  much 
from  you.  I'm  going  to  make  a  burnt  sacrifice  to 
the  Weatherman  to-day  in  hope  that  he'll  send  the 
hottest  day  of  the  year  to-morrow.  Manners  is  so 
pickled  in  alcohol  now  that  he  could  not  possibly  last 
through  a  long  match  if  the  thermometer  were  flirt 
ing  with  the  hundred  mark.  But,  cheer  up.  I 
thought  that  you  were  having  altogether  too  smooth 
sailing  of  late  and  about  due  for  some  bumps." 

"  Much  obliged;  you  are  a  fine  Job's  comforter. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  am  getting  them  —  in 
bunches,"  and  I  proceeded  to  give  him  an  account  of 
the  peculiar  affair  of  the  previous  evening. 

"  Whew !  That  is  a  fine  state  of  affairs,  and  I 
don't  wonder  that  you're  sore.  But  why  don't  you 
hunt  up  your  dancer  friend  this  morning  and  choke 
the  source  of  her  information  from  her?  " 

"  I'd  like  to,  fast  enough,  but  if  I  should  go  to 
see  her  it  would  be  just  my  luck  to  have  the  Lees  go 
riding  by  at  the  psychological  moment  when  I  was 
leaving  her,  and  have  her  throw  her  arms  around 
my  neck  and  kiss  me  good-by." 


BEFORE  A  FALL  225 

Mr.  Hammond  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter  at 
this  picture,  and  I  glared  at  him,  my  sense  of  humor 
being  in  total  eclipse  at  that  moment. 

"  Besides,"  I  added,  when  he  stopped,  "  I  happen 
to  have  another  engagement  this  morning." 

"Well,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  don't  do  it  myself 
then.  It  would  be  a  rare  lark.  I  tell  you  what, 
I'll  go  in  the  guise  of  your  lawyer  and  threaten  her 
with  everything  I  can  think  of  from  a  suit  for  arson 
to  manslaughter.  Oh,  I'll  get  the  truth  out  of  her 
all  right,  if  I  have  to  operate  with  a  bowie  knife." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it  ?  "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"  Sure  as  you  are  an  inch  high,  my  boy,  and  I 
will  have  the  time  of  my  life  doing  it." 

"  Mr.  Hammond,  you're  a  brick ! "  said  I,  jump 
ing  up  and  wringing  his  hand.  "  Now  I'm  off  to 
keep  my  appointment." 

"  Now  you're  nothing  of  the  sort.  The  Lord  de 
liver  me  from  ever  falling  in  love  again !  Oh,  I  can 
see  through  a  wall  when  there  is  a  hole  in  it.  Sit 
down,  man,  you  haven't  had  breakfast  yet." 

Considerably  abashed  I  obeyed,  but  a  half  hour 
later  was  approaching  the  Aldrich  mansion  with  a 
comparatively  light  heart,  confident  that  all  my  trou 
bles  were  soon  to  blow  over. 

Bert  met  me  at  the  door  with  a  long  face.  "  Pre 
pare  for  the  worst,"  he  said  dolefully;  "you  are  in 
deep  disgrace,  young  man." 


226 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  Go  ahead  and  get  it  over  with,"  I  responded 
with  sinking  heart. 

"  Margaret  really  isn't  so  well  and  doesn't  feel  like 
going  to  church  this  morning,  and  Marion  pleads 
a  headache  and  begs  to  be  excused.  I  think  that  she 
has  gone  for  a  walk  to  get  the  air,  or,  more  likely, 
to  escape  from  the  persecutions  of  a  certain  very 
depraved  young  man  I  know  of.  So  you  see  there's 
nothing  left  for  you  to  do  but  stay  and  play  tennis 
with  me." 

With  the  milk  of  human  kindness  thoroughly 
soured  within  me  I  refused  curtly,  and  said  that  I 
was  going  to  church  anyway. 

"  Well,  you  are  the  limit ! "  he  said,  in  deep  dis 
gust.  "  You're  about  as  stubborn  as  a  mule  —  I 
was  going  to  say  *  had  about  as  much  sense  as  one,' 
but  I  wouldn't  insult  the  mule  that  much." 

"  Thanks.     Good-by." 

"  See  you  this  afternoon?" 

"  Not  if  I  know  it,"  and  with  the  absurd  arro 
gance  and  hot-headedness  of  youth,  I  rode  away  on 
my  high  horse,  utterly  forgetful  of  the  obvious  fact 
that  I  had  no  quarrel  with  Bert. 

Moreover,  I  did  go  to  church,  but  found  no  com 
fort  nor  consolation  there.  I  read  the  prayers  with 
all  my  thoughts  racing  madly  over  the  recent  un 
happy  experiences,  heard  the  'sermon  without  tak 
ing  in  a  word  of  it,  and  picked  flaws  in  the  singing, 


BEFORE  A  FALL  227 

which  I  doubt  not  was  excellent,  the  choir  being  a 
very  good  one. 

Even  the  walk  home  through  the  beautiful  coun 
tryside  helped  little,  and  when  I  reached  Mr.  Ham 
mond's,  he  added  to  my  affliction  by  reporting  that 
he  had  sought  the  dancer,  but  found  that  the  bird 
had  flown  to  her  next  stand  less  than  an  hour  be 
fore. 

That  afternoon  and  evening  I  enjoyed  being  thor 
oughly  miserable,  and  this  time  my  misery  loved 
company  and  I  stuck  to  my  host  like  a  leech.  In 
deed,  my  society  must  have  been  anything  but  edify 
ing,  but  he  bore  with  me  with  unfailing  good  humor, 
thus  proving  himself  more  and  more  my  friend,  and, 
verily,  a  man  in  a  thousand. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

IN    WHICH   SOME  SPORTING   HISTORY   IS   RETOLD 

WHEN  I  arose  the  next  morning  I  began  to  be 
lieve  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer  over  material  things, 
for  the  opening  day  of  the  big  national  tourney 
dawned  fair  and  exceedingly  hot.  By  ten  o'clock, 
when  play  was  scheduled  to  commence,  it  was  siz 
zling.  By  noon  the  sultry  atmosphere  was  fairly 
vibrating  with  heat  waves  which  seemed  to  come 
from  an  inferno. 

I  was  on  deck  at  the  Casino  early,  and  the  bus 
tle  and  excitement  of  preparation  proved  sufficiently 
infectious  to  cheer  me  up  considerably,  and  I  be 
gan  to  greet  with  real  enthusiasm,  old  friends 
among  the  new.  arrivals  as  they  flocked  in,  bag  and 
baggage.  After  all,  I  thought  at  last,  the  play  is 
the  thing,  and  what  profiteth  it  for  a  husky,  vigor 
ous  young  man  to  go  about  moping  and  eating  his 
heart  out  over  a  fickle  girl  ? 

The  Little  Doctor,  then  president  of  the  National 
Association,  I  found  enthroned  upon  a  folding  chair 
on  the  veranda  to  the  locker  building,  surrounded 

by  his  aides-de-camp,  welcoming  contestants,  check- 

228 


SPORTING  HISTORY          229 

ing  up  their  names,  assigning  lockers  and  schedul 
ing  courts,  as  busy  as  a  bee,  and,  indeed,  the  gen 
eral  hum  and  buzz  carried  out  the  simile.  I  re 
ported  to  him,  and  then  stood  for  a  moment  look 
ing  down  the  stretch  of  turf  upon  which  several 
pairs  were  already  hard  at  it,  watched  by  an  ever 
swelling  gallery  who  would  line  the  main  path  un 
til  the  hour  for  the  featured  match  struck,  when  a 
great  rush  for  the  grand  stand  would  occur. 

How  much  a  modern  tennis  tourney  resembled, 
while  differing  from,  a  meeting  of  the  olden  days,  I 
mused. 

Here,  as  then,  were  the  grassy  lists,  the  eager 
warriors  keen  to  gain  the  honor  of  challenging  the 
mighty  champion  for  his  crown  and  honors,  the  gal 
lery  filled  with  fair  women,  many  of  whom,  doubt 
less,  had  a  hero  entered  for  the  fray  with  cour 
age  doubled  by  a  smile  from  their  dear  lips.  Ah, 
that  I  might  be  so  encouraged!  The  proud  steeds 
arching  their  noble  necks  and  champing  fiercely  at 
their  bits,  each  bearing  his  mail-clad,  behelmeted 
warrior,  were  no  more,  to  be  sure.  Their  martial 
aspect  had  given  place  to  the  more  peaceful,  but 
scarcely  less  attractive,  scene  made  by  the  lithe  and 
graceful  contenders  all  clad  in  spotless  white,  and 
bearing,  instead  of  warlike  spear  or  sword,  the  light 
and  perfect  racket  —  a  weapon  requiring  far  greater 
skill  of  hand  and  brain  to  manaee.  The  fan  fare 


230  MAN  PROPOSES 

of  trumpets  did  not  echo  down  the  field,  but  the 
merry  fiddle  was  tuning  up  in  the  pavilion  at  the 
other  end  of  the  stretch  of  courts.  The  game  had 
truly  changed,  but  the  old  spirit  still  lived. 

Since  I  did  not  have  to  play  until  the  second 
round  I  volunteered  my  services  as  an  official,  an 
offer  which  was  gratefully  taken  up,  and  I  was  as 
signed  to  the  post  of  base  line  umpire  for  the  "  big  " 
match  of  the  first  round  —  the  meeting  of  two 
"  first  ten "  players,  which  was  to  be  staged  at 
eleven  upon  the  so-called  Championship  Court,  and 
the  prescribed  hour  found  me  at  my  post  facing  the 
grandstand  where  the  favored  Croesuses  viewed  the 
play  shaded  by  the  row  of  tall  trees  behind  it. 
Now  it  was  being  rapidly  filled  with  gayly  attired 
society  women  and  their  more  somberly  arrayed 
male  escorts. 

The  match  was  started  promptly,  and  from  the 
first  service  proved  to  be  as  hard  fought  and  thrilling 
a  battle  as  one  could  wish  to  see,  replete  with  bril 
liant  shots  calling  for  close  decisions,  and,  for  a 
time,  my  mind  was  wholly  engrossed  with  my  duties 
and  the  play.  But  the  extreme  heat  and  the  con 
tinued  tension  finally  caused  a  reaction.  I  found 
my  thoughts  and  eyes  wandering,  and  at  last,  for 
getful  of  my  task  for  the  moment,  I  looked  aim 
lessly  toward  the  grandstand  just  in  time  to  see 
Ethel,  Bert,  and  last  but  not  least — Marion  —  en- 


SPORTING  HISTORY          231 

ter  three  of  the  seats  directly  opposite  me.  I 
straightway  forgot  all  else  save  the  presence  of  my 
enchantress,  but  the  next  instant  was  brought  to 
earth  by  hearing  the  voice  of  the  veteran  referee 
call,  "  How  was  it,  Mr.  Shaw  ?  " 

I  had  been  asleep  at  my  post,  ana,  during  that 
fatal  moment,  a  deep  drive  had  struck  so  close  to 
my  base  line  that  the  scorer  was  in  doubt  whether 
it  had  landed  good  or  out.  And,  horrors,  I  real 
ized  instinctively  at  the  same  moment  that  if  the 
shot  were  good  it  meant  the  end  of  the  match,  for 
the  score  then  stood  forty-fifteen  and  five  games 
to  three  in  the  third  set. 

In  desperation  I  called,  "  Out,"  hoping  against 
hope  that  some  beneficent  fate  would  come  to  my 
rescue  and  decree  that  my  guess  were  right,  but  the 
protesting  chorus  of  "  In,"  from  spectators  behind 
me,  immediately  confirmed  my  worst  fears,  and  the 
man  on  the  service  line  looked  at  me  in  deep  sur 
prise. 

"  Forty-thirty,"  sang  the  referee,  and  although 
the  player  on  the  other  side  of  the  net  gave  me  a 
reproachful  glance,  he  went  back  and  prepared  to 
serve  again  without  a  word,  for  in  this  sport  of  gen 
tlemen  it  is  the  unwritten  rule  that  there  shall  be  no 
protesting  of  decisions,  however  flagrantly  wrong 
they  may  be. 

I  would  have  rejoiced  to  have  had  the  earth  open 


232  MAN  PROPOSES 

and  swallow  me  up  then  and  there,  and  the  fact 
that  the  gainer  by  my  erroneous  decision  deliberately 
and  plainly  "  threw  "  the  next  point  and  the  match, 
as  a  true  sportsman  would,  did  not  help  matters  any, 
as  far  as  I  was  concerned. 

Feeling  everlastingly  disgraced,  I  left  hurriedly 
and  made  for  the  locker  building  to  waylay  the 
winner  and  apologize,  but  as  I  was  about  to  enter 
the  door,  the  Little  Doctor  hailed  me  with  the  far 
from  comforting  information  that  I  was  wanted 
immediately  to  play  Manners,  whose  first  opponent 
had  found  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor  and  de 
faulted  to  him. 

I  went  to  my  locker  and  dressed,  outwardly  calm, 
but  within  as  nervous  as  a  witch,  and  upon  report 
ing  to  the  "  powers  that  be  "  was  informed  that  we 
had  been  assigned  to  the  "  second  best  "  court,  that 
directly  in  front  of  the  building.  "  You  two  ought 
to  be  a  pretty  good  attraction,"  was  the  cold-blooded 
remark,  but  I  knew  at  heart  that  Manners,  and  not 
I,  was  meant. 

My  opponent,  after  the  detestable  custom  of  a 
few  stars,  kept  me  waiting  fully  ten  minutes,  which 
did  not  tend  to  lessen  my  nervousness  any,  and  by 
the  time  he  did  appear,  looking  big  and  business-like, 
I  was  pretty  nearly  in  a  blue  funk. 

We  took  our  places  and  proceeded  to  "  warm  up  " 
—  foolish  term  on  such  a  day  —  Manners  from  the 


SPORTING  HISTORY          233 

outset  driving  the  ball  across  with  an  enviable  free 
dom  of  stroke,  speed  and  accuracy  and  smashing 
with  deadly  precision,  while  I  could  scarcely  get  it 
in  the  court  at  all. 

After  a  few  rallies  he  took  his  position  at  the  base 
line,  saying  shortly,  "  Let's  start ;  I'm  ready,"  with 
out  even  adding  the  customary,  "  Whenever  you 
are,"  and  although  I  might  have  demanded  the 
privilege  of  further  practice,  my  pride  forbade  and 
I  prepared  to  receive,  saying,  "  All  right ;  I  guess 
I'll  never  be  any  worse  than  I  am  now." 

Manners  was  a  left-handed  player,  and  his  twist 
ing  American  service  came  to  me  with  an  awkward 
bounce  which  completely  disrupted  my  returns,  his 
drives  were  as  true  and  speedy  as  rifle  bullets,  and 
his  volleying  —  for  he  rushed  to  the  net  at  every 
occasion  —  quick  as  lightning.  Try  as  I  would  — 
drive,  chop,  or  lob  —  nothing  went  right  and  I 
became  bemired  in  a  slough  of  execrable  errors, 
all  the  time  having  the  discomforting  feeling  that 
the  gallery  was  either  amused  —  or  worse,  sympa 
thetic  —  which  did  not  tend  to  improve  my  playing 
any. 

Others  may  have  found  the  day  delightful. 
Certainly  the  sun  was  shining,  the  surroundings 
charmed  the  eye,  and  a  splendid  orchestra  was  dis 
coursing  sweet  strains  nearby,  but  none  of  these 
things  pleased  me,  for  I  was  getting  unmercifully 


234 MAN  PROPOSES 

beaten.  The  first  fifteen  games  were  waking  night 
mares.  With  monotonous  regularity  the  umpire 
called  off  one  after  the  other,  until  the  score  stood 
two  sets  to  love  in  my  rival's  favor,  three  games 
having  been  the  best  I  could  do  against  his  almost 
machine-like  playing.  - 

With  this  comfortable  lead,  Manners  —  smiling 
sarcastically  —  eased  up  a  bit  and  obviously  decided 
that  he  could  toy  with  me  and  save  himself.  But 
at  the  same  time  I  thought  that  I  detected  in  his 
movements  some  signs  of  physical  distress,  for,  in 
spite  of  the  terrific  heat,  he  had  been  forcing  the 
pace  continually  and  was  perspiring  profusely,  re 
quiring  frequent  recourse  to  the  towel  as  well  as  the 
pitcher  of  ice  water. 

This  combination  lent  me  new  heart  and  with 
my  returned  courage  came  a  remarkable  return 
to  form.  Steadily  I  felt  my  control  improving 
and  my  confidence  growing  in  the  same  ratio,  un 
til  I  was  soon  playing  nearly  up  to  my  capabil 
ities  and  meeting  his  softer  shots  with  clean,  hard 
strokes. 

As  was  inevitable,  his  let-down  was  fatal  to  my 
opponent.  He  simply  found  it  impossible  to  get 
started  again  against  my  materially  improved  play 
ing,  and  finally  threw  the  set  away  at  6-3,  evidently 
preferring  to  let  it  go  without  the  tremendous  effort 
it  would  require  to  pull  it  out  of  the  fire,  and  to  fin- 


SPORTING  HISTORY          235 

ish  off  the  job  by  taking  the  fourth  set  after  the 
rest  which  the  seven-minute  intermission  would  give 
him. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  he  walked  a  trifle  unstead 
ily  to  the  dressing  room,  whereas  I  was  beginning  to 
feel  stronger  than  ever,  and  as  I  came  out  of  the 
shower  room  and  passed  his  compartment,  I  saw 
him  drinking  a  higloball,  a  sight  which  encouraged 
me  still  more.  If  he  needed  stimulant  he  must  be 
further  gone  than  I  had  imagined. 

When  I  reached  my  own  locker,  Ned  Witherbee, 
whom  I  had  not  laid  eyes  on  since  the  day  he  in 
troduced  me  to  my  rival,  was  waiting  for  me,  and 
as  he  helped  me  into  dry  flannels  he  sputtered  away 
like  a  roman  candle. 

"  It's  an  outrage,  John !  That  —  that  —  that 
snake  is  simply  cheating  you  out  of  the  match! 
Upon  my  soul,  I  never  saw  such  outrageously 
flagrant  footfaulting!  He's  stealing  a  clean  yard 
on  you  every  time  he  serves.  No  wonder  that  he 
can  get  to  the  net  and  smother  your  returns.  Why 
the  dickens  don't  you  put  up  a  kick  ?  " 

"  I  imagined  that  he  was  doing  it,  Ned,  and  that, 
with  his  infernal  service,  has  knocked  my  game 
galley  west.  But  what  can  I  do?  I  would  look 
fine,  wouldn't  I,  calling  for  a  footfault  judge  to 
watch  a  man  of  his  tennis  standing  just  because  I 
was  getting  whipped.  I'm  no  cry-baby." 


SS6  MAX  PROPOSES 

"  No,  of  course  you  can't  do  anything,  but  I'll 
be  damned  if  I  can't,"  and  he  rushed  off  in  high 
dudgeon. 

I  was  ready  to  resume  well  within  the  time  limit, 
but  no  Manners  appeared,  and,  after  waiting  several 
minutes,  one  of  the  executive  committee  went  to 
hunt  him  up,  swearing  to  chalk  up  a  default  against 
him  if  he  didn't  come  out  immediately. 

As  I  walked  to  the  railing  I  saw  an  extra  chair 
at  each  base  line  and  seated  in  one  of  them  the  cham 
pion  himself,  a  man  death  on  footfaulting  and  hav 
ing  not  only  a  clear  eye  and  judgment,  but  the  cour 
age  of  his  convictions. 

As  I  was  standing  there,  inwardly  elated,  I  felt 
an  arm  over  my  shoulders  and  found  Mr.  Ham 
mond  at  my  side,  "  No  more  footfaulting,  I  guess, 
John,"  said  he.  "  Manners  will  go  clean  up  in  the 
air  when  he  sees  Bill  on  the  job,  for  they  love  each 
other  like  a  couple  of  cats,  tails  tied  together  and 
hung  over  a  clothesline.  I  haven't  seen  Manners 
play  like  this  in  years  but  I  told  you  to  expect  as 
much.  You've  got  him  going  at  last  just  the 
same." 

"  Yes,  it  is  beginning  really  to  look  like  it,"  I 
responded,  glowing  with  gratitude  at  his  words  of 
encouragement.  "  But  I  haven't  got  his  strokes, 
confound  him." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  how  Beals  Wright  beat  the 


SPORTING  HISTORY  237 

mighty  Brookes  in  Australia  a  while  ago,  on  a  day 
just  like  this?" 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  with  a  flash  of  inspiration. 

"  Well,  a  word  to  the  wise,  you  know.  Go  thou 
and  do  likewise." 

At  this  moment  Manners  put  in  an  appearance 
and  we  went  out  into  the  broiling  sun  again. 

As  I  stopped  at  the  referee's  high  chair  to  pick 
up  my  racket  my  eye  chanced  to  go  up  to  the  bal 
cony  of  the  locker  building,  and  there,  in  the  very 
front  row,  stood  Marion. 

Scarcely  could  I  credit  my  senses,  for  as  I  looked 
her  eye  caught  mine,  she  smiled  and  waved  her 
program  encouragingly,  and  I  went  to  my  place 
with  the  cold  determination  to  win  that  match  or  die 
in  the  attempt. 

Manners  annexed  the  first  game,  and  then  served 
and  ran  in  to  the  net  as  usual,  bent  on  finishing  me 
off  as  soon  as  possible.  I  waited  patiently  and  then 
lobbed  the  ball  deep.  This  change  of  tactics  took 
him  off  his  guard,  the  ball  cleared  his  racket  cleanly 
and  forced  him  to  turn  and  race  to  the  back  line 
for  it  at  full  speed.  It  was  the  opening  shot  in 
my  campaign  of  tossing  every  ball  well  in  the  air 
whenever  he  elected  to  run  in,  and  merely  patting 
it  over  when  he  hugged  the  back  court.  Even  the 
simplest  bounces  which  I  knew  that  I  could  stroke 
hard  for  aces,  met  the  same  reception  at  my  hands. 


238 MAN  PROPOSES 

What  with  the  repeated  calling  of  faults  by 
the  new  umpire  when  he  overstepped  the  line  in 
serving,  and  my  own  baiting,  Manners  lost  his 
head  completely.  Against  any  other  opponent  his 
knowledge  of  tactics  would  undoubtedly  have  saved 
him,  but  in  this  instance  personal  venom  entered 
and  robbed  him  of  his  capacity  to  think.  Utterly 
disregarding  the  lessons  that  his  long  tournament 
experience  should  have  taught  him,  he  began  to  try 
to  win  every  point  outright,  and  rushed  around 
like  one  possessed.  On  such  a  day  the  result  was 
inevitable. 

Slowly  his  strokes  lost  their  sting  and  became 
uncertain,  his  feet  began  to  lag.  Before  that  set 
was  over  he  had  called  for  spirits  of  ammonia,  and 
when  I  had  won  it  at  6-2  and  was  on  even  terms 
again,  I  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when  I  could 
meet  and  beat  him  at  his  own  game. 

With  a  masterfulness  I  had  never  felt  before,  I, 
in  turn,  assumed  the  offensive  and  with  clean  tell 
ing  drives  and  volleys  ran  out  the  games  until  five 
stood  on  my  side  of  the  ledger  and  none  on  his. 
Then  came  a  final  burst  of  speed  from  him  to  pre 
vent  a  love  set,  but  it  was  only  a  flash  in  the  pan, 
and  I  was  trotting  off  the  court  with  a  joy  of  con 
quest  such  as  I  had  never  known,  filling  and  thrill 
ing  me. 

Nor  was  this  all.     When  I  emerged  from  my 


SPORTING  HISTORY  239 

shower  bath  one  of  the  red-jerseyed  ball  boy  imps 
handed  me  a  note,  hurriedly  written  in  pencil  on 
half  of  a  score  card.  I  read  it  with  soaring  spirits, 
for  it  ran, 

"  Hearty  congratulations  on  your  famous  victory. 
Sorry  that  I  cannot  wait  and  offer  them  in  person,  but 
we  are  off  in  a  few  minutes  for  a  yachting  trip  which 
is  to  last  until  to-morrow  night.  Am  sure  Margaret 
would  be  glad  to  see  you  in  the  meantime  if  you  have 
time  to  call  upon  her. 

"  Sincerely, 

"M. 

"  P.  S.  Saturday  night's  episode  all  explained  and 
you  are  vindicated." 

With  this  wonderful  postscript  —  and  how  like 
a  woman  it  was  —  filling  my  thoughts  and  carrying 
my  spirit  into  the  heights  again,  I  dressed  and  went 
out  into  the  bright  sunshine  —  infinitely  more  glori 
ous  than  when  I  had  left  it  —  to  receive  the  con 
gratulations  of  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 
Ned  Witherbee  had  already  begun  to  celebrate  my 
victory  at  the  refreshment  counter,  and  by  the  time 
that  he  sighted  me  and  had  almost  carried  me  bodily 
to  his  base  of  supplies,  there  to  regale  myself  with 
an  inoffensive  ginger  ale,  he  had  arrived  at  a  point 
where  he  took  most  of  the  credit  for  Manners'  de 
feat  to  himself  —  and  I  will  not  say  that  he  was 
wrong. 


240 MAN  PROPOSES 

He  further  insisted  that  I  be  his  guest  at  lunch 
eon,  and  I  very  nearly  turned  him  from  an  ardent 
friend  into  a  bitter  enemy  by  steadily  refusing  the 
rich  viands  and  potent  liquid  refreshments  with 
which  he  persisted  in  plying  me. 

Not  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  did  I  begin 
to  realize  how  much  that  hard  five  set  match  at 
noontide  had  taken  out  of  me,  and  then  I  sought 
out  Mr.  Hammond  and  got  him  to  take  me  home. 
At  my  request  we  went  via  the  Postoffice,  where  I 
found  the  expected  letter  from  Jack  Borroughs  in 
Petersburg.  We  read  it  together,  after  I  had  first 
taken  him  fully  into  my  confidence  as  to  all  the  steps 
which  I  had  taken  on  behalf  of  the  Lees'  Virginia 
property,  explaining  my  action  by  telling  him  that 
I  was  associated  with  Willard's  lawyers,  but  asking 
him  not  to  divulge  this  fact. 

It  ran: — 

"  PETERSBURG,  VA. 

"August  — ,  . 

"  Dear  John : 

"I'd  rather  have  your  luck  than  a  million  dollars. 
There  you  are,  leading  a  gay  sporting  life  in  Newport, 
mingling  freely  with  the  disgustingly  rich,  and  simply 
tumbling  onto  big  cases,  while  here  I  am  slaving  away 
in  a  little  stuffy  office,  and  working  early  and  late  to 
support  a  large  and  hungry  family. 

"  And  then  the  very  idea  of  your  making  a  chance 
shot  in  the  dark  and  hitting  me  for  your  mark  —  ME, 


SPORTING  HISTORY         241 

probably  the  one  man  in  all  the  Old  Dominion  most 
bitter  against  that  grasping  New  York  bunch.  Why, 
I've  been  fighting  them  tooth  and  nail  for  a  year, 
which  may  or  may  not  account  for  the  fact  that  they 
have  not  found  their  going  any  path  of  roses.  Al 
though  I  shall  probably  not  return  the  munificent  fee 
which  you  hinted  at,  I  would  be  glad  to  do  your  job 
simply  for  the  pleasure  it  would  give  me  to  slip  an 
other  one  over  on  them. 

"  And,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  your  luck  doesn't  stop 
there.  As  far  as  my  preliminary  examination  has  dis 
closed,  the  only  living  heirs  of  old  deVignier  —  the 
Lees'  grantor  —  are  still  living  in  the  little  town  which 
still  considers  itself  under  the  protection  of  the  Lee 
estate,  and  they  regard  the  two  sisters  as  angels  upon 
earth  —  which,  being  Virginia  girls,  they  probably  are 
—  and  would  gladly  swear  away  their  hope  of  Heaven 
for  them.  I've  already  got  a  confirmatory  deed  from 
them  and  there  only  remains  their  old  brother,  who 
ought  to  be  easy  when  I  catch  him.  So,  if  no  others 
come  to  light,  your  troubles  are  ended.  I'll  keep  you 
posted. 

"  With  best  regards  to  you  and  yours  —  if  there  are 
any  '  yours  '  yet  —  I  am, 

"  Sincerely, 

"JACK." 

"  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  don't  agree  with  your  cor 
respondent's  first  sentence,  John,"  said  Mr.  Ham 
mond.  "  A  chap  as  lucky  as  you  does  not  deserve 
to  live.  Don't  allow  yourself  to  acquire  an  en 
larged  cranium,  my  boy;  remember  the  old  adage 


242 MAN  PROPOSES 

'  Whom  the  gods  destroy  they  first  make  mad ' 
and  you  have  tempted  Fate  several  times  lately." 

These  frank  words  caused  a  chill  of  foreboding 
to  pass  through  me  for  a  second,  but  the  feeling  did 
not  last.  I  was  too  supremely  happy  over  the  pres 
ent  to  worry  about  the  future. 

"When  Manners  learns  of  how  —  to  reverse  the 
quotation  —  you  have  added  injury  to  insult,  I 
wouldn't  be  in  your  shoes,"  he  added. 

The  balance  of  the  afternoon  I  spent  reading 
quietly,  but  early  evening  found  me  once  more  at 
the  Aldriches'  as  suggested  by  Marion. 

Mrs.  Willard  was  on  the  portico,  and  the  sound 
of  our  voices  in  greeting  must  have  reached  little 
Janet's  room,  for  in  a  moment  or  two  her  nurse 
came  down  to  say  that  her  charge  would  not  go  to 
sleep  until  "  Unke  John  "  came  up  and  tucked  her 
in.  I  complied  gladly,  and  after  returning  to  the 
piazza  spent  a  delightfully  soothing  hour  with  Mar 
garet,  during  which  our  friendship  deepened  ma 
terially. 

Time  and  again  I  was  about  on  the  point  of 
speaking  of  my  mission,  but  the  occasion  never 
seemed  to  serve  exactly,  and  I  had  not  the  strength 
of  will  to  terminate  our  congenial  chat  with  such  a 
serious  matter.  Moreover,  I  temporized  with  my 
self  by  thinking  that,  after  all,  my  best  method  of 
attack  would  result  from  first  securing  Marion  as 


SPORTING  HISTORY          243 

my  staunch  ally.  Procrastination,  thou  art  fatal! 
If  I  had  only  spoken  then,  how  many  heart  aches, 
what  deep  despair  would  have  been  saved ! 

In  the  course  of  our  rambling  talk  I  mentioned 
Saturday  night's  episode,  and  asked  if  she  knew 
what  the  explanation  of  it  that  Marion  had  learned 
was. 

To  my  astonishment  she  replied  that  her  sister 
had  not  mentioned  the  matter  to  her  at  all,  and  as 
I  walked  homeward,  my  heart  warmed  anew  at  this 
evidence  of  her  loyalty,  and  reproaching  myself  bit 
terly  for  my  earlier  thoughts  over  her  apparent  mis 
trust. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

IN   WHICH    OF   A   ROMAN    HOLIDAY 

ACCORDING  to  all  rules  laid  down  by  the  poets,  a 
man  as  much  in  love  as  I  was  should  have  spent  his 
time  sighing  like  a  furnace  and  making  woeful  bal 
lads  to  his  mistress'  eyebrows. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  if  the  sun  is  bright,  the  young 
man's  digestion  is  working  well,  and  he  has  some 
absorbing  endeavor  to  busy  himself  with,  he  is 
likely  to  devote  very  little,  if  any,  time  to  such  dole 
ful  occupations. 

Such  was  the  case  with  me  during  Marion's  brief 
absence  on  her  yachting  trip.  Tuesday  was  indeed 
a  very  busy  day  for  me  at  the  Casino,  and  it  is  fair 
to  say  that  not  until  evening  did  I  mope  any  over 
the  fact  that  I  was  parted  from  my  charmer. 

The  third  round  found  me  pitted  against  a  cer 
tain  Yale  star  who  had  been  cutting  a  wide  swath 
in  college  tennis  circles  that  spring,  and  had  won 
a  number  of  fairly  important  events  later. 

He  was  a  young  "  comer,"  fast  approaching  the 
front  rank,  brilliant  but  decidedly  unsteady,  whereas 
I  was  just  the  reverse,  and  the  self-confidence  which 

244 


A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY  245 

had  come  to  me  as  a  result  of  my  unexpected  vic 
tory  over  Manners,  carried  me  through  our  match 
with  flying  colors.  Since  I  was  seeking  no  special 
honors,  I  could  not  but  feel  somewhat  sorry  for  my 
vanquished  rival,  for  his  disappointment  over  being 
defeated  by  a  nobody,  as  he  apparently  regarded 
me,  after  his  splendid  early  season  record,  was  keen. 
With  it  he  saw  his  hopes  for  a  place  well  up  in  the 
National  ratings  go  a-glimmering. 

I  wTas  just  congratulating  myself  upon  getting  my 
day's  work  off  the  docket,  so  as  to  be  free  to  enjoy 
the  challenge  contest  for  the  National  Doubles 
Championship  that  afternoon,  when  the  Secretary  of 
the  Association  buttonholed  me,  remarking,  "  I  see 
you  won  from  young  Willett,  Shaw.  Great  work! 
If  you  keep  up  the  pace  you're  traveling  at  now,  the 
championship  is  going  to  change  hands  this  year. 
Perhaps  as  a  result,  you  are  feeling  good  natured 
enough  to  grant  a  favor  to  your  next  victim,  Phil 
Hasbrooke.  He  is  really  extremely  anxious  to  get 
back  to  town  on  account  of  business,  but  had  rather 
not  default  if  he  can  help  it.  He  wants  to  play  this 
afternoon  if  possible,  and  ought  to  be  easy  for  you. 
Can  I  put  you  down,  say  for  two-thirty?" 

The  dictates  of  wisdom  bade  me  refuse,  for  my 
morning  match  had  been  a  strenuous  one  and  the 
day  was  another  sizzler,  but  I  wanted  to  oblige  the 
committee,  and  finally  reluctantly  consented. 


X 

246 MAN  PROPOSES 

Thus  while  the  enthusiastic  gallery  was  drinking 
in  its  fill  of  thrilling  tennis  on  the  grandstand  court, 
I  had  to  go  out  again  into  the  broiling  sun,  and 
while  my  ears  were  being  greeted  with  continual 
bursts  of  applause  from  the  other  side  of  the  field, 
struggle  through  a  long  drawn  out  and  uninspiring 
match  against  an  aggravatingly  soft  hitter  who  got 
everything  back  with  disconcerting  persistence.  So 
little  was  my  heart  in  the  game  that  I  practically 
fooled  away  the  third  set,  and  then  had  to  work  like 
a  Trojan  to  get  back  into  my  stride  and  win  the 
fourth  and  match. 

Still,  I  had  the  slight  consolation  of  seeing  my 
name  chalked  up  on  the  big  blackboard  along  with 
that  of  one  of  the  most  popular  and  brilliant  of  the 
young  California  stars,  in  the  fourth  round,  one 
step  ahead  of  all  the  rest.  This  match  would,  of 
course,  spell  my  elimination  from  the  tourney,  and 
I  was  prepared  to  put  up  as  good  an  argument  as 
possible  before  bowing  to  my  master,  quite  content 
with  my  showing  in  the  event. 

Wednesday  morning  I  slept  late,  breakfasted  in 
a  hurry  and,  as  strange  as  it  may  appear,  utterly 
neglected  to  read  the  tennis  story  in  the  paper  before 
rushing  off  to  the  Casino. 

What  then,  was  my  amazement  and  consterna 
tion  upon  reaching  the  entrance  at  being  greeted  by 
the  horror-producing  neatly  printed  words  upon 


A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY          247 

the  announcement  blackboards  on  either  side, 
"  Championship  Court.  M.  E.  McLoughlin  vs.  J. 
A.  Shaw  at  ii  o'clock." 

I  could  not  believe  my  eyes.  The  idea  that  our 
match  should  be  selected  to  be  staged  on  the  exhi 
bition  court  had  never  for  an  instant  entered  my 
mind,  and  with  wobbling  knees  and  blood  turning 
to  water,  I  hastened  to  the  locker  building.  So 
nervous  was  I  that  I  could  scarcely  voice  my  stam 
mering  protests  to  the  "  Little  Doctor,"  and,  as  it 
was,  I  might  just  as  well  have  saved  my  breath,  or 
talked  to  a  stone  wall. 

"Of  course  I  realize  the  way  you  feel,  Mr. 
Shaw,"  was  his  propitiating  response,  "  but  the 
committee  chose  your  match  because  there  hasn't 
been  a  chance  to  put  Mr.  McLoughlin  on  the  Cham 
pionship  Court  before,  and  the  gallery  are  clamor 
ing  for  him.  All  the  others  who  might  properly 
be  put  on  there  have  already  had  a  chance  or  have 
easy  matches  to-day.  Beside,  your  defeats  of  Man 
ners  and  Willett  are  worthy  of  recognition,  and  we 
believe  that  you  are  quite  capable  of  giving  Mac  a 
real  match ;  so,  you  see,  it's  up  to  you." 

"  But  for  heaven's  sake,  I  couldn't  get  a  game 
from  him !  It'll  be  a  slaughter,  and,  somehow,  I'm 
not  keen  about  furnishing  a  Roman  holiday  for  the 
assembled  multitude.  Great  Scott,  can't  you  put 
yourself  in  my  place  and  have  a  heart?" 


248 MAX  PROPOSES 

"  Oh,  you  are  too  modest,  Shaw.  If  we  think 
you  can  make  it  interesting  for  him  that  ought  to 
satisfy  you.  Why,  I  thought  you  would  be  pleased 
to  get  a  chance  on  that  Court ;  it  isn't  everybody  that 
does." 

"  I  know  that,  and  I  feel  highly  honored,  but 
I'm  plumb  scared  to  death.  I'd  rather  default  now 
than  play  there." 

"  Oh,  come  now,  be  a  sport,"  chimed  in  several 
of  the  others,  who  were  standing  around  us.  "  You 
can't  any  more  then  get  beaten,  and  Maurie's  hu 
man.  You  may  catch  him  off  his  game,  and,  if  you 
do,  and  play  as  you  did  against  Willett,  you'll  give 
him  a  good  run  for  his  money." 

"  Sure,"  broke  in  Ned  Witherbee,  "  you  might 
lick  him." 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  in  deep  disgust,  "  I  might  —  if 
he  broke  a  leg  or  fell  dead  on  the  court."  But  in 
the  end  I  yielded,  nevertheless,  and  with  palpitat 
ing  heart  and  a  feeling  inside  as  though  I  had  eaten 
a  pound  of  lead  for  breakfast,  went  to  dress  for  the 
sacrifice. 

Many  a  time  and  oft  had  I  sat  on  the  side  lines 
and  criticised  some  poor  floundering  fellow  who 
was  suffering  an  unmerciful  beating  at  the  hands  of 
some  star  of  the  first  magnitude,  saying  to  myself, 
"Why  on  earth  doesn't  he  do  this,  or  that?" 
Never  shall  I  do  so  again! 


A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY          249 

When  I  finally  walked  onto  the  court  behind  the 
flaming  red  head  of  the  popular  "  California 
Comet,"  it  seemed  to  me  that  each  foot  weighed  a 
ton,  and  my  head  nothing  at  all.  The  quick  burst 
of  applause  sounded  in  my  ears  like  distant  thun 
der,  and  the  gallery,  now  rapidly  filling  the  grand 
stand,  appeared  to  be  a  confused  and  meaningless 
mass  of  swimming  color. 

"  God  favors  the  side  having  the  heaviest  artil 
lery,"  said  Napoleon,  and,  quite  naturally,  my 
mighty  rival  won  the  toss  and  elected  to  take  the 
first  service. 

Mere  instinct  caused  me  to  take  the  proper  posi 
tion,  although  the  referee  gave  me  a  word  of  en 
couragement  as  I  passed  his  stand,  and  I  began  to 
return  the  cannon  ball  shots  as  well  as  I  could  and 
frequently  not  at  all.  And,  in  due  time,  the  battle 
was  on. 

My  body  truly  acted  automatically,  but  my  brain 
refused  to  perform  its  natural  function,  and  when 
I  managed  to  return  the  elusive  white  sphere,  I  had 
the  doubtful  pleasure  of  seeing  it  go  sailing  straight 
over  the  center  of  the  net  as  though  I  were  aiming 
at  him  as  a  target,  and  high  enough  to  give  the  wait 
ing  Nemesis  an  absurdly  easy  chance  to  kill  it  off 
—  which  he  invariably  did  with  ease  and  dispatch. 

After  a  few  rounds  of  applause  produced  by  his 
brilliant  shots,  the  gallery  ceased  to  pay  any  par- 


250 MAN  PROPOSES 

ticular  attention  to  our  exhibition,  some  departed, 
and  from  the  rest  arose  a  hum  of  many  voices  in 
discussion  of  anything  and  everything  except  the 
so-called  contest.  In  time  the  idea  grew  in  my 
brain,  "  How  much  that  buzzing  resembles  the  twit 
tering  of  a  multitude  of  gayly  plumaged  birds," 
an  imagery  which  carried  my  thoughts  to  a  forest, 
and  I  heartily  wished  that  I  was  in  the  very  middle 
of  one  at  that  moment. 

Then  my  mind  began  to  drum  out,  over  and 
over,  the  phrase,  "  What  a  poor  fool  you  are  to  lose 
your  nerve  like  this,  when  nothing's  at  stake  but  a 
silly  game,"  but  that  did  not  help  any  in  changing 
the  disheartening  fact  that  I  had  lost  it,  and 
the  answering  thought  came  in  time,  "  What  a 
poor  fool  you  are  to  let  a  mere  boy,  almost  ten 
years  your  junior,  make  an  exhibition  of  you  like 
this." 

The  sing-song  voice  of  the  famous  referee  called 
off  game  after  game  for  my  opponent  with  clock- 
like  regularity,  and  —  as  I  afterwards  learned  — 
in  just  eleven  minutes,  one  red  ball,  representing 
a  love  set,  was  hung  up  on  the  arm  of  the  scoring 
machine  under  his  name. 

As  I  stood  wiping  the  perspiration  from  my  face 
and  hands,  by  the  canvas  backstop,  behind  which  the 
members  of  the  press  were  seated  in  listless  atti 
tudes,  I  overheard  one  of  them  say,  "  Worst  case 


A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY          251 

of  plain  stage  fright  I  ever  saw.  He  can  do  a 
darned  sight  better  than  that,  but  to-day  he  can't 
even  hit  the  ball." 

"  Poor  fellow,  he  must  feel  cheap,"  replied  a 
young  miss  who  had  been  smuggled  into  that  sacred 
precinct. 

This  pitying  remark  furnished  the  last  straw.  I 
saw  red,  something  actually  seemed  to  snap  in  my 
brain,  and  the  spell  was  broken. 

My  mind  reasserted  itself,  I  became  cool  and  de 
termined  and  toed  the  mark  a  different  player, 
ready,  nay,  anxious,  to  get  at  the  demon  oppo 
site. 

The  champion  in  the  making  had  too  old  a  head 
upon  his  youthful  shoulders  to  let  up  even  against 
a  hopelessly  beaten  opponent,  his  world-famous 
service  came  hurtling  in  as  swift  and  deadly  as  be 
fore,  and,  in  another  moment,  another  game,  also 
won  at  love,  was  added  to  his  fast  growing  string. 
But  this  time  the  feeling  of  utter  helplessness  within 
me  did  not  follow,  and  with  an  assurance  which 
surprised  myself,  I  took  up  the  task  undaunted,  and 
a  short  while  after  had  the  keen  satisfaction  of  wit 
nessing  a  small  white  ball: — the  first • — go  up  on 
my  side  of  the  announcer. 

The  spectators,  always  ready  and  eager  to  en 
courage  the  under  dog,  applauded  faintly,  and  this 
added  a  jot  to  my  new  determination. 


252 MAN  PROPOSES 

Still  almost  helpless  against  his  services,  many 
of  which  I  failed  to  get  my  racket  on  at  all,  so  swift 
were  they  and  so  weirdly  did  they  bounce,  I  never 
theless  with  dogged  determination  fought  out  three 
games  on  my  own  service,  and  the  set  terminaed 
with  the  very  respectable  score  of  6-3. 

Tis  said  that  nothing  succeeds  like  success,  and 
as  we  paused  at  the  end  of  this  set  to  make  liberal 
use  of  the  towels,  which  the  ball  boys  tossed  to  us, 
Ned  rushed  over  to  the  barrier  next  me,  saying 
exultantly,  "  Now  we've  got  him  on  the  run,  old 
boy.  I'm  on  my  way  out  to  telephone  the  city 
band  to  come  right  up  here  and  we'll  have  a  swell 
little  parade  down  Bellevue  Avenue  as  soon  as 
you  administer  the  coup  de  grace,"  but  I  paid  little 
heed  to  him,  for  just  at  this  juncture  my  eye  fell 
upon  Marion  and  her  two  escorts  in  the  gallery, 
and  she  was  looking  toward  me  and  smiling  encour 
agingly. 

Knights  of  old,  story  tells  us,  achieved  deeds  of 
marvelous  valor  when  fighting  under  the  eye  of 
their  ladies  fair,  and  the  presence  of  my  dear  one 
sent  a  stream  of  new  courage  and  inspiration  flow 
ing  into  my  heart.  I  gripped  my  racket  as  though 
it  had  been  a  battle  ax,  and  strode  forward  to 
serve  with  my  jaw  set  ominously.  Let  my  wonder 
ful  young  opponent  beware  now! 

His  first  return  came  to  me  like  a  catapult,  but 


A  ROMAX  HOLIDAY  253 

with  the  courage  of  a  lion  I  smote  it  back  even 
harder.  If  I  had  looked  for  "  The  Comet "  to  wilt 
in  fear  before  my  burst  of  speed  I  was  doomed  to 
disappointment.  With  a  panther-like  spring  he 
shot  the  ball  over  the  net  for  a  clean  ace. 

I,  not  he,  was  the  one  surprised,  but  still  un 
daunted  I  kept  up  the  pace,  playing  as  I  had  never 
played  before,  but  as  my  game  improved,  so  did 
his.  The  committee  was  right.  I  had  found  my 
self  and  rejoiced  in  the  realization  that  I  was  giv 
ing  the  Pacific  champion  a  real  battle.  But  to  what 
end?  Try  as  I  would,  forcing  game  after  game 
to  deuce,  sometimes  repeatedly,  I  had  not  the  punch 
to  win  a  single  one,  and  the  set,  although  so  differ 
ent,  ended  as  had  the  first,  6-0. 

And  so,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  I  knew  in  my 
heart  of  hearts  that  I  had  performed  better  than 
ever  before  in  my  life,  and  put  up  a  very  creditable 
fight,  tennis  annals  indicate  that  on  that  day  in 
August,  John  Alden  Shaw  met  with  a  crushing  de 
feat  at  the  hands  of  the  boyish  California  marvel. 
But  what  of  that?  My  friends  all  made  a  point  of 
congratulating  me  upon  my  excellent  showing,  and 
commenting  upon  the  fact  that  the  last  set,  in  which 
I  had  failed  to  capture  a  game,  was,  in  reality,  closer 
than  the  second  in  which  I  had  won  three.  But  I 
needed  no  words  of  praise  or  consolation.  Let  the 
score  be  what  it  might,  I  knew  that  I  had  mastered 


254 MAN  PROPOSES 

my  weakness  and  would  never  again  be  afraid  to 
face  any  player  —  no,  not  the  champion  himself  — 
and  this  moral  victory  took  all  the  sting  out  of  the 
defeat. 

When  I  emerged  from  the  dressing-room  I  found 
all  the  Aldrich  party  waiting  for  me  on  the  piazza, 
and  with  Marion's  hand  clasping  mine  in  approval 
I  scarcely  heard  Bert  rant  forth,  "  Hail,  mighty  in 
defeat.  Yours  is  the  unique  distinction  of  having 
lost  the  only  love  set  of  deuce  games  in  the  history 
of  the  world.  I've  been  subsidizing  the  press  in 
your  behalf  and  to-morrow  morning  all  men  will 
read  the  scare  headlines,  '  JOHN  ALDEN  SHAW 
almost  BEATS  THE  COMET,  in  spite  of  getting 
licked  6-0,  6-3,  6-0.'  " 

"  We're  all  proud  of  you,"  said  Marion,  with  a 
look  which  meant  more  to  me  than  an  actual  vic 
tory  possibly  could  have. 

"  But  isn't  he  a  wonder  ?  "  I  replied  enthusiasti 
cally.  "  In  another  year  or  two  he  will  top  them 
all,  mark  my  words." 

I  would  have  been  well  pleased  to  have  gone 
home  with  them,  but  at  this  point  a  group  of  their 
Newport  friends  joined  us  and  insisted  in  carry 
ing  them  away  to  luncheon,  and  I  was  not  included 
in  the  invitation.  As  they  departed  I  managed  to 
slip  in  a  whispered  question  to  Marion,  "  What 
about  last  Saturday  night?  " 


A  ROMAN  HOLIDAY  255 

"  I  can't  tell  you  now,"  she  whispered  back,  "  but 
will  to-night;  that  is,  if  you  care  to  run  up  to  the 
house." 

DID  I  care  to? 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Now  and  then  there  comes  a  night  which  seems 
as  though  it  were  too  perfect  to  belong  to  this  old 
world  so  filled  with  flaws. 

Such  a  one  was  that  which  brought  to  a  close  the 
day  of  my  defeat  on  the  courts. 

A  refreshingly  cool  but  wondrously  soft  breeze 
blew  in  from  the  sea  like  a  messenger  laden  with 
tidings  of  peace  and  comfort.  By  its  magic  the 
sultry  air  was  changed  into  life-giving  elixir.  It 
whispered  gently  through  the  foliage  suggestions  of 
love  and  happiness,  and,  under  its  caressing  touch, 
the  leaves  murmured  their  happy  response. 

The  distant  stars,  usually  so  unattainably  far 
away,  seemed  nearer  and  brighter,  and  in  the  west, 
the  moon  in  her  last  quarter  appeared  more  like  a 
jeweled  crescent  on  the  gem  encrusted  sable  robe  of 
Night,  than  a  dead  world.  It  was  a  dangerous 
night,  a  night  made  for  dreams  of  love. 

Nature  held  me  completely  in  its  thrall  as,  with 
fast  beating  heart,  I  made  my  way  toward  my  goal. 

256 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  257 

My  soul  yearned  to  declare  its  love,  but  my  brain 
answered,  "  No,  you  must  be  calm  and  strong,  that 
cannot,  must  not  be." 

The  spell  of  the  night  was  on  the  Aldriches, 
too,  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  were  seated 
upon  the  broad  western  veranda  in  a  strangely  si 
lent  mood,  each  deeply  immersed  in  his  or  her  own 
thoughts,  when  I  crossed  the  velvety  lawn  and 
joined  them.  Even  Bert's  customary  boisterous 
greeting  was  conspicuous  for  its  absence,  and  I  took 
a  vacant  seat  and  scarcely  more  than  a  nod  or  low 
word  of  welcome  from  each.  It  was  an  hour  when 
nature's  power  draws  men  instinctively  closer  to  one 
another  and  to  their  Creator  in  silent  communica 
tion  of  the  spirit. 

Finally  Ethel  sighed  deeply,  and  brought  our 
minds  back  to  the  commonplace  things  of  life,  by 
saying,  "  I  wish  Tom  were  here.  It's  too  bad  to 
waste  such  a  night  as  this,  and  I  feel  dreadfully 
spoony." 

"  Perhaps  John  might  be  persuaded  to  act  as  sub 
stitute,"  answered  Bert,  ever  ready  to  seize  upon 
such  an  opening.  "  I  imagine  that  he  could  make 
good,  and  as  homely  as  he  is,  he's  certainly  infi 
nitely  better  looking  than  Tom." 

"  He's  certainly  not ! "  she  replied  heatedly,  for 
she  was  a  wife  still  passionately  in  love  with  her 
own  husband. 


258 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  There,  that's  the  kind  of  a  wife  for  you,"  said 
Margaret. 

"  Oh,  when  outsiders  are  around  the  king  can  do 
no  wrong  and  is  the  handsomest  man  alive,  accord 
ing  to  Ethel.  But,  take  it  from  me,  it's  only  for 
effect,"  replied  the  tormentor.  "  You'd  ought  to 
hear  her  rag  him  when  they  are  alone,  though  — 
it's  something  scandalous  —  and  as  for  admitting 
before  him  that  he  is  even  passably  good  looking  — 
she'd  lose  a  hand  first.  Oh,  these  women,  these 
women,  their  name  is  inconsistency." 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  I  protested 
stoutly,  putting  my  arm  protectingly  about  Ethel's 
shoulders. 

"  Good  for  you,  son-in-law-to-be,  you  are  a  man 
after  my  own  heart,  and  you  stick  up  for  me,"  and 
she  patted  my  hand  affectionately.  "  You  poor 
boy,  you  must  be  simply  dead  after  your  three  days 
of  hard  matches." 

"  Dead  ?  Not  by  a  long  shot ! "  I  responded. 
"  I  feel  as  strong  as  a  lion,"  and,  to  substantiate  my 
assertion,  I  picked  her  up,  chair  and  all,  and  swung 
her  around  till  she  shrieked  out  for  mercy.  "  Why, 
I  could  go  out  and  walk  ten  miles  right  now." 

"  So  could  I,"  broke  in  Marion.  "  And  what  a 
perfect  night  it  is  for  a  good  walk.  It's  a  crying 
shame  to  sit  here  idly  and  gossip." 

"  My  idea  of  '  nothing  to  do '  is  taking  a  walk 


|io   $r»? 


V 


ITS  A  CRYING  SHAME  TO  SIT   HERE   IDLY  AND  GOSSIP 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  259 

when  you're  not  going  anywhere,"  said  Bert,  lean 
ing  back  lazily  and  blowing  out  smoke  rings.  "  If 
any  foolishly  callow  youths  and  maidens  want  to  go 
and  deliberately  wear  out  shoe  leather,  they  may, 
there  is  no  law  against  it,  but  you  may  count  *  yours 
truly '  out." 

Marion  ignored  him  and  said,  "  Come  on,  Mar 
garet,  I'm  sure  a  little  walk  would  do  you  a  world 
of  good,  you  need  mild  exercise  as  much  as  rest, 
now.  Don't  you  feel  like  it,  dear? " 

"  Not  to-night  I  guess,  honey.  I'll  stay  here  and 
watch  Bert  take  his  exercise  in  an  arm  chair,  and, 
if  you  go,  don't  forget  that  the  ball  at  the  Casino 
comes  to-morrow  evening.  I  shall  expect  you  to 
be  sound  asleep  in  your  little  bed  by  ten  at  the 
latest." 

"  You  come,  Ethel,"  urged  Marion,  and  'though 
there  was  little  heart  in  my  words,  I  had,  out  of 
politeness,  to  join  my  request  to  hers. 

"  All  right,"  she  replied,  promptly  jumping  up. 
"  You  two  need  a  chaperon,  anyway.  I'll  run  in 
and  put  on  my  old  gray  bonnet  and  be  with  you  in  a 
minute." 

This  ready  acceptance  made  my  heart  sink  dole 
fully,  but  a  few  moments  later  it  rose  again  with  a 
bound,  for  Ethel  came  prancing  out  of  the  house  in 
wild  excitement  crying,  "  Hoo-ray,  speaking  of 
angels.  I  just  got  a  telephone,  and  what  do  you 


260 MAX  PROPOSES 

think?  Tom's  back  unexpectedly.  He's  at  the 
depot  now.  He  wanted  to  surprise  me  but  the 
dear  old  thing  simply  couldn't  wait  to  get  here  and 
had  to  'phone  the  very  minute  he  got  in.  That's 
the  kind  of  a  husband  to  be,  John,"  and  seizing 
me  by  the  arms,  she  did  a  mad  war  dance  about 
the  piazza.  "  Go  ahead  and  take  your  old  walk,  if 
you  want  to.  I've  got  something  a  million  times 
better  to  do  now,"  and  she  hugged  herself  ecstati 
cally  in  anticipation. 

And  thus  Fate  pulled  the  strings  once  more, 
and  we  two  set  forth  into  the  magic  moonlight, 
alone. 

For  a  time  we  walked  briskly  and  in  silence,  giv 
ing  free  play  to  our  muscles  and  exulting  in  the 
rhythmic  swing  together,  for  Marion  walked  with 
the  springy  stride  of  a  boy.  Instinctively  we 
turned  down  the  avenue  toward  the  cliffs,  and,  as 
we  progressed,  our  pace  slackened  little  by  little, 
and  we  began  to  talk  quietly  of  those  things  which 
interest  a  man  and  a  maid. 

I  ended  one  long  pause  pregnant  with  silent  night 
music,  by  saying  suddenly,  "  Well,  I  never !  Your 
mere  presence  has  driven  one  thing  that  I  have 
been  meaning  to  ask  about  especially,  entirely  out 
of  my  mind  until  this  instant." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Why,  your  promise  this  morning,  of  course/* 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  261 

"  My  promise  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure.  Don't  you  remember  that  you 
were  going  to  tell  me  to-night  what  you  had  dis 
covered  about  my  mysterious  epistle  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  really  promise,  did  I  ?  "  she  asked  hesi 
tatingly,  after  a  moment. 

"  You  sure  did." 

"  But  I'm  not  so  certain,  on  second  thoughts, 
that  I  had  better,  or  want  to.  It's  a  woman's 
privilege  to  change  her  mind,  you  know." 

"  So  I've  heard,  but  you  promised." 

"  Oh,  as  for  that,  if  I  didn't  cross  my  heart  and 
hope  to  die,  it  isn't  binding." 

Helpless  before  this  womanly  logic,  but  all  the 
more  anxious  to  hear  the  story,  I  retorted,  "  All 
right,  but  I've  got  a  secret  about  you  which  I  won't 
tell  unless  you  agree  to  disclose  forthwith  all  you 
know  about  that  affair  of  mystery."  Oh,  wise  be 
yond  my  generation.  What  woman  could  with 
stand  this  method  of  attack? 

"  Very  well,  then,  I'll  agree.  .What  is  your 
secret  ?  " 

"  Oh,  come  now,  you  surely  don't  expect  me  to 
get  caught  that  easily  a  second  time.  Your  story 
first,  if  you  please." 

"  Well,"  she  began  slowly,  "  it  really  isn't  much. 
That  note  was  nothing  but  a  joke  a  friend  was  play 
ing  on  you." 


262 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  A  joke?  I  must  say  that  it  is  not  my  idea  of 
humor.  How  did  you  find  that  out  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  —  I'd  rather  not  tell." 

"  Ah,  but  you  did  promise  this  time.." 

"  Well,"  she  hurried  on,  "  somehow  I  thought 
that  it  must  have  been  a  joke.  You  see,  I  could  not 
believe  that  you  —  you  .  .  ." 

"  Well,  I  should  hope  not.  I  don't  pretend  to  be 
any  saint,  but  that  particular  kind  of  thing  doesn't 
appeal  to  me." 

"  Sunday  morning  I  ran  away  from  the  folks, 
and  went  to  see  her." 

"  You  ?  You  went  to  see  her  ?  You  did  that 
—  for  me?" 

"  No,  you  mustn't  judge  hastily.  She  really  is 
not  bad  at  heart,  a  bit.  I  stayed  and  talked  with 
her  about  all  sorts  of  things  and  really  enjoyed  my 
visit  immensely." 

"  Well,  you  are  an  angel !  I  believe  that  you 
would  see  some  good  in  Satan  himself." 

"  Hardly  that,  although,  indeed,  I've  often 
thought  that  his  Satanic  majesty  was  often  blamed 
for  things  that  he  didn't  have  any  hand  in.  And 
as  for  being  an  angel  —  it's  plain  to  see  that  you 
have  not  known  me  very  long.  But  this  is  beside 
the  point.  She  admitted  at  once  and  without  hesi 
tation,  that  a  man  whom  she  had  never  seen  be 
fore,  but  who  told  her  that  he  was  a  friend  of  yours 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  263 

and  wanted  to  play  a  little  joke  on  you,  wrote  the 
note  and  gave  her  ten  dollars  to  toss  it  into  our 
box." 

"  And  who  was  this  thoughtful  '  friend '  of 
mine?  " 

"  She  did  not  know  his  name,  and  could  only  de 
scribe  him  vaguely." 

"  What  was  the  description  ?  "  I  persisted  with  a 
quick  premonition  that  filled  me  with  seething 
anger. 

"Oh,  it  doesn't  matter,  does  it?  It  really  was 
only  a  joke,  so  never  mind  who  the  perpetrator 
was.  The  whole  thing  is  not  worth  giving  another 
thought  to." 

"Was  it  Mr.  Manners?"  I  insisted. 

"I  refuse  to  answer,  by  advice  of  counsel;  be 
sides,  I  really  don't  know,"  she  replied  with  some 
thing  of  a  start,  as  though  my  tone  disturbed  or 
surprised  her.  I  needed  to  press  my  questioning 
no  further  and  therefore  replied  lightly,  "  The 
question  may  be  stricken  out,"  and  changed  the 
subject  abruptly. 

Both  scenting  danger,  we  purposely  kept  the  con 
versation  thereafter  along  the  lines  of  airy  persi 
flage  until  we  had  reached  the  cliff  walk,  and,  in 
time,  the  famous  "  Forty  Steps." 

Here  I  stopped  as  the  result  of  a  sudden  inspira 
tion,  saying,  "  Let's  climb  down  them  for  a  mo- 


264 MAX  PROPOSES 

ment  and  shut  out  the  world  of  men  above.  Don't 
you  hear  the  sea  calling?  " 

She  hesitated  just  an  instant,  then  acquiesced, 
and  with  her  hand  in  mine,  and  my  heart  pound 
ing  loudly,  I  aided  her  down  to  the  little  beach 
below. 

Behind  us  now  towered  the  ancient  cragged  cliffs 
fronting  the  broad  Atlantic,  and  the  rough  stone 
ladder  we  had  descended.  Before,  to  the  vague 
horizon  stretched  the  mighty  ocean  across  which 
the  low  hanging  moon  to  the  right  sent  a  shimmer 
ing  path  of  light  straight  to  our  feet.  The  sea 
was  waveless,  but  everlastingly  swelling  and  drop 
ping  like  the  breast  of  a  calmly  slumbering  woman. 

As  we  stood  there  in  silence,  side  by  side,  drink 
ing  in  the  perfect  beauty  of  the  scene,  I  heard  Mar 
ion  sigh  gently  while  the  majestic  power  of  nature 
laid  its  overwhelming  influence  upon  our  very  souls. 

She  spoke  at  last,  softly,  "  I  am  glad  the  cliffs 
hide  from  view  those  palaces  of  wealth  above  us. 
Nature  in  such  a  mood  is  too  wonderfully  perfect 
to  be  spoiled  by  any  work  of  man's  hand." 

I  did  not  answer.  At  that  moment  a  great  strug 
gle  was  taking  place  within  me.  All  my  being  cried 
out  for  me  to  tell  of  my  passion,  but  I  dared  not, 
nor  did  I  wish  to  speak  at  all  while  her  mood 
lasted. 

"  Oh,  when  we  have  ever  before  us  such  mighty 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  265 

patterns  of  God's  truth  and  grandeur  as  the  sea, 
the  mountains,  the  desert,  how  can  we  men  and 
women  be  so  terribly  narrow,  petty  and  full  of  de 
ceit?  How  can  we  little  mortals  help  realizing  how 
insignificant  we  really  are,  in  the  face  of  such  ma 
jestic  mightiness?  And  yet,  so  full  of  foolish  ar 
rogance  and  petty  conceit  are  we,  that,  except  on 
rare  occasions  like  this  perhaps,  we  blind  ourselves 
to  all  this  colossal  perfection,  and  go  about  our  own 
pitiably  small  affairs,  filled  with  deceit  fulness  and 
meanness.  Isn't  this,"  and  she  flung  her  arms  sea 
ward,  "almost  too  wonderful?  Doesn't  it  seem  as 
though  you  could  actually  hear  the  heart  of  the 
great  deep  throbbing?" 

"  Yes,"  I  barely  whispered.  "  But  this  beauty 
and  your  words  have  stripped  my  soul  and  left  it 
naked  and  ashamed,  Miss  Lee.  I  realize  now,  as  I 
have  never  before,  that  I,  myself,  am  infinitely 
more  filled  with  the  deceit  against  which  you  have 
been  protesting,  than  are  most,  and  I  know  that  I 
should  not  ask  your  friendship  even  for  a  moment 
longer,  unless  you  are  willing  to  hear  my  confession 
and  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner." 

"You,  full  of  deceit,  Mr.  Shaw?  I  don't  think 
I  understand." 

"  I  do  not  wonder.  Perhaps  I  should  not  even 
hope  to  make  you  understand  in  the  way  I  should 
like  to,  but  it  is  a  fact.  Will  you  let  me  tell  my 


260 MAN  PROPOSES 

story?  "  and  as  she  nodded  her  assent  I  hurried  on 
nervously,  "  That  I  have  never  told  you  any  spoken 
untruth  about  myself  is  no  mitigation  of  the  fact 
that,  for  the  past  week,  I  have  been  living  a  lie, — 
for  actions  really  do  speak  louder  than  words.  I 
don't  know  whether  I  actually  have,  or  have  not, 
given  the  impression  that  I  was  a  wealthy  man  of 
social  standing  —  one,  that  is,  belonging  to  the  class 
which  you  belong  to,  and  so  worthy  of  your  intimacy 
—  but  I  have,  nevertheless,  tried  hard  enough  to 
do  so. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  am  nothing  of  the  sort. 
I  am  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse,  and  have  little  real 
prospect  of  ever  being  much  else.  And  I  know  ab 
solutely  that,  being  such  as  I  am,  and  the  accepted 
standards  of  the  world  being  as  they  are  —  no  mat 
ter  how  false  they  may  be,  theoretically  —  I  have 
no  right  whatsoever  to  force  myself  into  that  class 
and  accept  of  its  favors  and  yours,  extended  under 
a  misconception  of  the  true  facts." 

I  do  not  know  just  what  sort  of  an  answer  I 
looked  for  to  this  humble  confession.  Certainly  I 
did  not  expect  her  to  laugh,  and  when  her  silvery 
laughter  rang  out  merrily  as  I  finished,  I  was  both 
deeply  surprised  and  hurt. 

But  the  latter  feeling  quickly  vanished,  for  she 
replied,  "  My  dear  boy,  I  have  known  that  for 
days,  and  that  I  have  not  in  any  way  withdrawn 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  267 

my  friendship  and  confidence,  should  be  enough  to 
convince  you  that  I  have  believed  you  worthy  of 
it  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  you  may  not  theoretically 
belong  to  the  so-called  aristocracy  of  dollars  —  for 
the  existence  of  which,  indeed,  there  is  no  possible 
excuse." 

Somewhat  dazed  by  the  naive  disclosure,  which 
indicated  that  my  great  secret  was  no  secret  at  all, 
I  stammered,  "  You  have  known  it  all  along?  But 
how?" 

"  I  think  that  I  could  have  guessed  it  anyway, 
simply  by  reading  between  the  lines  of  your  con 
versation,  for  you  have  an  earnestness  and  pur- 
posefulness  which  I  don't  find  in  the  average  young 
man  of  society,  wealth  and  leisure  to-day.  But  I 
won't  pretend  to  second  sight,  and  the  truth  is  that 
somebody  told  me  all  about  you,  and  I  found  noth 
ing  in  the  recital  that  should  cause  you  to  be 
ashamed  of  yourself  or  your  position.  Indeed  it 
has  never  occurred  to  me  that  you  were  masquerad 
ing  or  trying  to  appear  other  than  you  were." 

My  thoughts  got  no  further  than  her  confession 
that  she  had  been  told  all  about  me,  however,  and  I 
interrupted  shortly,  "  Some  one  told  you  ?  Has 
Bert  broken  his  promise  to  — " 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed.  You  need  not  blame  poor 
Bert,  if  he  was  supposed  to  conceal  your  purpose,  or 
your  lack  of  wealth.  Indeed,  if  there  had  been  any 


268 MAN  PROPOSES 

need,  I  might  perhaps  have  guessed  the  truth  from 
the  fact  that  he  has  tried  so  hard  to  give  the  op 
posite  impression." 

"  Then,  who  on  earth  — " 

"  A  little  bird  whispered  it  to  me." 

Again  I  experienced  a  feeling  of  hot  anger  which 
accompanied  a  premonition  of  the  truth. 

"  Was  it  the  same  '  friend  '  who  favored  me  with 
that  epistle  last  Saturday  night?  "  I  demanded. 

She  did  not  respond,  so  after  a  moment  I  con 
tinued  quietly, 

"  Miss  Lee,  I  wish  that  you  would  answer  that 
question  this  time.  I  can  not  just  now  tell  you  why 
I  want  you  to  do  so,  but  I  hope  that  you  will  be 
lieve  me  when  I  say  that  something  extremely  im 
portant  depends  upon  your  answer  —  important  for 
you  as  well  as  for  me,  that  is." 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  to  consider  the  source  of  my 
information  as  confidential,"  she  replied  doubtfully. 
"  But  you  seem  so  very  much  in  earnest  — " 

"  I  am,  indeed." 

"  Well,  then,  your  guess  was  right ;  although  I 
don't  see  the  meaning  of  it  all." 

"  Manners  told  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  what  was  the  occasion  ?  Why  should  he 
think  it  necessary  to  make  such  a  statement  about 
me  at  all  to  you?  I  don't  understand." 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  269 

"  Nor  did  I  —  unless  perhaps  he  saw  you  with 
me  so  much  that  he  foolishly  thought  you  might  be 
a  —  a  possible  rival,  and  felt  that  *  all  was  fair  in 
love  and  war.' ' 

"  Love  ?  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  he  has 
'dared?" 

It  was  apparently  her  turn  to  be  astonished,  for 
she  said  rather  coolly,  "  Dared  ?  Pray,  why 
shouldn't  Mr.  Manners  honor  me  with  a  proffer 
of  his  heart  and  hand,  Mr.  Shaw?" 

I  regret  to  say  that  my  feelings  overcame  my 
self  control.  I  uttered  a  crisp  oath  full  of  mean 
ing,  and  she  said  in  great  surprise,  "  Why,  Mr. 
Shaw!" 

"  Forgive  me,  Miss  Lee,  that  was  unpardonable, 
I  know,  but  the  utter  nerve  and  perfidy  of  that  man 
made  me  forget  myself." 

"  I  think  that  you  had  better  explain." 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  I  intend  to.  A  short 
time  ago  I  happened  to  learn  something  very  much 
to  Mr.  Manners'  discredit,  something  that  would 
make  his  asking  you  to  marry  him  outrageous,  if 
not  actually  an  insult.  In  order  to  prevent  me  from 
disclosing  it,  especially  to  you,  he  set  a  detective  to 
work  in  Boston  to  attempt  to  discover  something 
that  would  give  him  the  whip  hand  over  me,  and 
make  me  afraid  to  speak.  The  worst  his  agent 
could  learn  was,  apparently,  that  I  was  not  what  I 


270 MAN  PROPOSES 

was  pretending  to  be  here  in  Newport,  but  was 
masquerading  —  as  I  have  confessed  to  you  to 
night,  and  to  Mr.  Hammond  some  time  ago.  He 
failed  to  fathom  my  true  motive  for  trying  to  pass 
here  for  what  I  am  not  —  a  motive  that  you  shall 
hear  in  a  few  minutes  —  but  he  did  guess,  and  guess 
rightly,  that,  for  a  time  at  least,  I  wanted  the  facts 
concealed.  At  his  own  suggestion  he  bargained 
with  me  that  if  I  would  promise  not  to  disclose 
what  I  had  inadvertently  learned  about  his  affairs 
to  his  discredit,  he  would  not  divulge  to  any  of  you 
what  he  had  deliberately  found  out  about  me.  I 
have  kept  my  promise,  he  has  not.  Now  you  know 
why  I  swore." 

"  I  don't  wonder  that  you  are  angry,  Mr.  Shaw, 
and,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  myself.  That  method 
of  trying  to  discredit  one  who,  he  believed,  no  mat 
ter  how  wrongly,  was  a  rival,  did  not  agree  with  my 
ideas  of  the  most  honorable  way  of  pressing  one's 
suit." 

"  No  matter  how  wrongly?  "  I  thought.  Was  it 
possible  that  she  did  not  guess  the  true  state  of  my 
feelings  ? 

"  He  intimated  in  no  uncertain  terms  that  you 
were  in  Newport  simply  hunting  a  fortune,"  she 
continued,  "  but  I  think  that  I  made  it  clear  that  I 
did  not  care  either  for  his  remarks  about  you,  or  his 
proposal.  But  still  I  do  not  see  why  his  offer  was 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  271 

outrageous  or  insulting,  even  though  his  methods 
were  not  to  my  liking." 

"  Since  he  has  first  broken  our  agreement  I  am 
free  to  speak.  Miss  Lee,  do  you  know  who  Man 
ners  really  is  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,  I  know  nothing  about  him  other  than 
that  he  has  the  reputation  of  being  an  extremely 
rich  bachelor  and,  as  such,  a  fine  catch." 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  Virginia  Wood 
land  Development  Company?" 

"  Have  I  ?  I  should  say  I  had.  That  iniquitous 
corporation  has  left  no  stone  unturned  to  get  hold 
of,  and  swallow  up  our  own  property  in  Fairdale, 
but  unsuccessfully,  I'm  glad  to  say." 

"  Mr.  Manners  and  '  that  iniquitous  corporation ' 
are  one  and  the  same  thing.  He  owns  practically 
all  of  its  stock." 

"  Do  you  mean  it  ?  " 

"  I  do,  indeed,  and  this  is  part  of  the  interesting 
information  that  I  stumbled  on,  and  that  he  was  so 
anxious  to  conceal  from  you  and  your  friends. 
Mr.  Hammond  suggested  that  when  he  found  out 
that  you  were  in  Newport  he  would  probably  try 
to  acquire  the  land  that  he  wants  so  much,  by  mar 
riage,  but  I  took  that  to  be  a  joke  and  never  thought 
for  a  moment  that  he  would  have  the  nerve  to  try 
it,  although  I  won't  pretend  to  say  that  this  was  his 
only  reason  for  wanting  to  marry  you.  I'll  do  him 


272 MAN  PROPOSES 

the  justice  of  admitting  that  you  yourself  are  an 
object  altogether  worthy  of  his  coveting." 

In  the  pale  moonlight  I  saw  her  countenance  take 
on  lines  of  stern  anger,  and,  after  a  pause,  she  said, 
"  Will  you  please  repeat  your  swear  word  for  me, 
Mr.  Shaw?" 

"  Gladly."  Just  for  an  instant  I  thought  of  tell 
ing  her  the  rest  of  Manners'  plans,  and  expecta 
tions,  and  what  steps  I  had  taken  to  circumvent 
them,  but,  on  second  thought,  decided  that  it  was 
wiser  not  to  disturb  her  further  until  after  I 
had  completed  my  self-appointed  task  and  averted 
the  danger,  since  everything  was  apparently  going 
smoothly  in  that  direction.  So  I  changed  the  sub 
ject  by  adding: 

"  But,  Miss  Lee,  what  you  learned  from  Man 
ners,  and  what  I  have  confessed  about  myself  to 
night  is  only  a  part  of  the  truth  about  my  masquer 
ade,  and  a  small  part.  It  doesn't  explain  the  pur 
pose  of  it,  which  is  not  '  fortune  hunting.'  I  want 
to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it  now,  for  it  is  something 
that  you  ought  to  know." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  asked  in  surprise, 

"  Will  you  please  hear  my  story  to  the  end  with 
out  comment,  and  then  judge  me  as  fairly  as  pos 
sible?" 

She  nodded  her  assent  without  answering. 

"  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  my  pose  was  assumed 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  273 

at  the  start  as  a  method  of  getting  to  know  you, 
yourself  —  or  rather,  your  sister  —  and,  I  hoped, 
of  becoming  intimate  with  her.  Needless  to  say, 
it  has  succeeded  almost  beyond  my  wildest  hopes, 
perhaps  beyond  my  deserts." 

At  this  information  she  started,  and  looked 
amazed,  but  did  not  interrupt  me,  and  I  hastened 
on,  unfolding  as  honestly  as  possible,  but  probably 
instinctively  excusing  and  defending  myself  for  the 
methods  employed,  the  true  purpose  of  my  mission 
in  Newport. 

Although  apparently  several  times  on  the  point 
of  giving  expression  to  her  astonishment,  she  re 
mained  silent,  and  I  saw  her  face  become  paler  and 
paler  and  assume  a  drawn  look  as  I  spoke. 

When  I  had  ended  I  waited  for  her  to  speak,  it 
seemed  to  me  an  interminable  time.  Finally,  she 
said,  in  a  low  agitated  voice, 

"  Why  do  you  tell  me  this,  Mr.  Shaw  ?  " 

"  For  two  reasons.  The  first  one,  which  has  ex 
isted  from  the  beginning  of  my  mission,  and  is  the 
least  creditable,  is  because  I  wanted  to  gain  you  for 
a  friend  and  ally,  one  whom  I  could  count  upon  to 
help  me  move  Mrs.  Willard  from  the  position  she 
has  taken,  and  at  least  to  listen  to  her  husband's  plea. 
For  truly  I  have  not  exaggerated  a  bit.  You  must 
believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  he  is  really  more 
than  ever  deeply  in  love  with  her,  repentant,  and, 


274. MAN  PROPOSES 

indeed,  nearly  heartbroken  over  this  unhappy  af 
fair." 

She  did  not  wait  for  me  to  state  the  other,  but 
interrupted  saying,  "  You  have  told  me  fearlessly 
and  frankly  Mr.  Willard's  and  your  own  version  of 
the  tragedy  which  promises  to  wreck  his  life  and 
hers,  and  have  quite  naturally  minimized  the  occa 
sion.  Will  you  now  in  your  turn  let  me  tell  a  story 
which  may  convince  you  that  there  are  really  two 
sides  to  this  affair,  as  usual  —  one  that  may  per 
chance  convince  you  that  Mrs.  Willard  was  justi 
fied  in  what  she  did  ?  " 

"Of  course." 

Sh,e  stood  a  moment  in  deep  thought,  and  then 
commenced  to  speak  in  a  low  hurried  voice : 

"  It  is  not  easy  for  me  to  say  what  I  have  got  to, 
to  make  you  understand  her  feelings.  For  a  great 
many  generations  the  men  of  our  family  —  which, 
incidentally,  is  only  distantly  connected  with  the 
branch  which  produced  our  idol,  Gen.  Robert  E. 
Lee, —  has  been  afflicted  with  a  terrible,  inherited 
taste  for  liquor.  The  women,  on  the  contrary,  in 
stead  of  being  similarly  affected,  have,  by  a  peculiar 
twist  of  heredity,  always  abhorred  drink  with  a  bit 
ter  ingrained  hatred.  It  is  a  sad  fact  that  not  a 
few  of  my  male  ancestors  have  died  little  better 
than  drunkards,  and  my  own  grandfather,  whom  I 
remember  well,  was  one  of  the  old  school  Southern 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  275 

gentlemen  who  drank  heavily  all  his  life.  The  trait 
skipped  my  father,  who  was  always  bitterly  opposed 
to  alcohol,  but  made  its  appearance  again  in  my 
brother.  Poor  boy,  he  died  only  a  few  months  ago, 
and  his  death,  at  only  twenty-six,  was  hastened  by, 
if  not  almost  entirely  attributable  to,  the  insidious 
effects  of  drink." 

She  paused  in  deep  distress  and  I  was  about  to 
utter  a  word  of  sympathy,  but  she  stopped  me  by 
raising  her  hand,  and,  as  she  let  it  fall,  I  caught  and 
held  it  firmly  in  mine,  and,  somehow,  I  felt  that 
she  scarcely  noticed  this. 

"  Another  singular  characteristic  has  also  run 
through  our  family.  Although  our  men  folks  have 
always  been  gentle  and  courteous  in  the  treatment 
of  their  women,  they  are  not  naturally  demonstra 
tively  affectionate  except  when  under  the  potent 
influence  of  liquor.  Thus  sister  and  I  always  knew 
when  Bob  had  been  drinking  heavily,  from  the 
fact  that  at  such  times  he  was  ever  so  loving 
and  affectionate  in  his  actions.  Indeed,  this, 
in  time,  came  to  make  both  of  us  instinctively 
shrink  from  any  lavish  display  of  affection  from 
others." 

Again  she  paused,  as  though  struggling  to  gain 
fresh  courage  to  continue  her  recital,  but  spoke  at 
last  in  scarcely  more  than  a  whisper.  "  When  Ro 
land  Willard  asked  Margaret  to  be  his  wife,  last 


276 MAN  PROPOSES 

spring,  the  memory  of  Bob's  unhappy  end  was  still 
fresh  in  her  mind,  and,  knowing  that  he  drank  like 
most  society  men,  although,  as  far  as  she  had  ever 
seen  or  heard,  always  in  moderation,  she  required 
from  him  a  solemn  promise  to  give  it  up  entirely 
for  her  sake.  He  swore  by  all  the  vows  a  lover 
can  utter  that  she  was  more  to  him  than  all  the  liq 
uor  in  the  world,  and  that  if  she  would  marry  him 
he  would  never  touch  another  drop. 

"  There  are,  doubtless,  some  cataclysmic  up 
heavals  in  the  soul  which  can  change  a  person's 
whole  nature,  but  any  one  who  thinks  that  marriage 
is  going  to  change  or  reform  either  a  man  or  woman 
is,  I'm  afraid,  doomed  to  bitter  disappointment. 
You  can  guess  the  rest.  Within  an  hour  after  the 
marriage  the  old  tendency  reasserted  itself,  he  broke 
his  promise  to  her  —  I  won't  say,  willfully,  but 
through  a  woeful  weakness  —  and  there  then  fol 
lowed  that  scene  in  the  cabin  which  brought  Bob  so 
vividly  before  her  and  filled  her  soul  with  such 
overwhelming  shame,  disgust  and  horror,  that  her 
only  thought  was  to  escape  from  him  and  the  sacred 
bond  which  he  had  outraged  and  made  unbearable 
by  the  unfaithfulness  to  his  promise.  And  to  this 
was  added  the  fact,  less  in  importance,  that  he 
really  did  hurt  her  physically  as  she  struggled 
against  his  demonstrations.  "  Now  I  have  told  ,you 
all,  and  you  know  why  we  feel  as  we  do,  why  never, 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  277 

never  will  Margaret  go  back  to  Roland  Willard  as 
his  wife." 

Her  story  had  affected  me  powerfully.  A  flood 
of  ungovernable  anger  rushed  over  me  at  first,  but 
even  though  my  sympathies  were  all  arrayed  against 
him,  at  least  temporarily,  stern  duty  counseled  re 
straint,  and  I  answered  as  calmly  as  I  could, 
"Blame  Margaret?  Of  course  I  can't,  and  don't 
blame  her.  Obeying  her  impulses  as  was  wholly 
natural  that  she  should,  what  else  was  there  possible 
for  her  to  do?  And  your  disclosures  contain  more 
than  enough  to  account  for  what  at  first  seemed  to 
us  a  strange  and  unnatural  course  of  action.  You 
can  see  yourself  how  strange  it  must  have  seemed 
to  all  of  us,  knowing  only  the  fact  of  her  desertion, 
that  any  woman  who  loved  a  man  enough  to  marry 
him,  could  leave  him  on  such  apparently  slight  pro 
vocation.  And  please  don't  think  me  unfair  if  I  say 
that  even  now  it  seems  to  me  that  the  great  love  of 
a  wife  should  forgive  a  lapse  like  his  at  least  once, 
since  to  err  is  human  —  perhaps  not  at  the  moment 
of  its  occurrence,  when  she  was  all  stirred  up,  but 
later,  when  her  instinctive  anger  had  had  time  to 
pass,  and  calmer  reason  to  return.  While  wholly  in 
sympathy  with  her  I  can  still  plead  for  Willard,  you 
see,  for  I  know  that  he  is  sorry  to  the  very  bottom 
of  his  soul.  I  believe  truly  that  this  affair  has 
caused  the  kind  of  upheaval  in  his  being  that  you 


278 MAN  PROPOSES 

spoke  of  and  that  he  would  spend  his  life  in  expia 
tion  if  she  will  but  give  him  one  more  chance. 
Can't  you  believe  it?  Can't  you  see  my  point  of 
view  and  promise  me  your  help  in  bringing  about 
a  reconciliation,  so  that  he  may  have  at  least  that 
one  last  chance  ?  " 

For  a  full  moment  she  did  not  reply,  and  J  "cnuld 
see  her  breast  rising  and  falling  rapidly,  as  though 
she  were  physically  wrestling  with  a  great  problem. 

"  No,  no,  I  cannot.  Don't  ask  me  that,"  she 
broke  out  at  last.  "  It  would  be  a  sacrilege.  She 
cannot  go  back  to  him.  She  does  not  love  him.  I 
believe  that  she  never  loved  him,  it  was  only  the 
infatuation  of  a  young  girl  in  love  with  love,  and 
overpowered  by  his  ardent  wooing.  No,  no,  not 
that.  She  must  set  him  free.  It  is  only  fair : — : 
to  him  as  well  as  to  her." 

"  But  he  doesn't  want  to  be  set  free,  he  loves  her 
more  than  all  the  world,  and,  in  spite  of  his  broken 
promise,  he  is  a  man  worthy  of  his  love.  Let  her 
give  him  the  chance  and  he  will  make  her  love  him 
again  surely.  Then,  besides,  don't  you  see  that  her 
duty  lies  that  way,  and  isn't  doing  one's  duty  the 
greatest  thing  in  the  world  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  not !  It  is  not ! "  she  burst  out  again, 
trembling.  "  Love  is  that  greatest  thing,  not  duty. 
You  plead  well  for  another, -John  Alden  Shaw,  but 
suppose  that  you  loved  that  wife  greatly  yourself. 


THE  CLOUDS  LIFT  279 

Could  you  urge  her  then  as  you  do  now,  or  would 
you  rejoice  to  hear  her  say,  *  Why  don't  you  speak 
for  yourself?'  Would  you  then  stand  there  and 
say  that  duty  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  I 
wonder?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know." 

"  That  was  your  answer  the  morning  that  we 
talked  about  divorce,  in  the  abstract.  Now  I  am 
pleading  for  the  woman  whose  heart  and  soul  is 
actually  in  rebellion.  She  will  not,  she  must  not, 
go  back  to  that  hated  bondage,  sacrificing  herself 
that  others  may  not  be  led  astray,  as  you  put  it 
then.  She  will  be  free,  free  to  love  again  if  she 
can,  and  find  happiness  where  she  can.  Oh,  don't 
let  us  talk  about  this  any  more,  please;  let  us  go 
home." 

Now  I  was  so  aroused  that  reason  ceased  to  be, 
and,  forgetful  of  all  my  promises  to  myself  and 
others  not  to  give  way  to  my  hopeless  passion,  for 
getful  of  my  position  and  hers,  forgetful  of  every 
thing  except  my  love  for  her,  I  cried. 

"  No,  I  cannot  let  you  go  yet,  at  least  not  until  I 
have  told  you  the  other  reason  why  I  had  to  con 
fess  to  you  about  my  own  deceit  and  perfidy.  You 
must  listen  to  me  now,  Marion,  even  though  you 
tell  me  afterwards  that  I  can  never  see  you  again." 

She  looked  at  me  with  terrified  eyes  and  barely 
whispered,  "  What  —  what  do  you  mean?  " 


280 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  That  I  love  you  —  love  you,  heart  and  soul ! 
That  love  —  my  love  —  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the 
world  to  me,  and  that  for  it  and  for  you  I  would 
sacrifice  everything  else,  duty  and  even  my  hope  of 
eternity." 

She  looked  at  me  with  the  terror  in  her  eyes 
growing  until  I  found  it  unbearable,  and  then  with 
a  moan,  which  pierced  me  to  the  heart,  sank  at  my 
feet,  and,  throwing  her  arms  out  across  a  rock, 
buried  her  head  in  them  and  began  to  sob  bitterly. 

I  fell  on  my  knees  beside  her,  trying  to  take  her 
into  my  arms  and  uttering  wild  inconsequent  words 
of  inquiry,  pity  and  love,  but  she  thrust  me  away, 
sobbing  out,  "  Oh,  what  have  I  done !  What  have 
I  done!  I  am  a  most  unhappy  and  a  wicked, 
wicked  woman ! " 

At  length  I  pulled  her  hands  away  from  her  tear- 
stained  face,  and,  holding  them  close  to  my  breast, 
begged.  "  Don't  say  that.  Tell  me,  sweetheart  — 
tell  me  what  is  the  matter." 

I  felt  her  hands  grow  cold,  her  whole  body 
stiffen.  Then  she  answered  in  a  low  pitiful  voice, 
"  I  am  not  Marion.  I  am  Margaret  —  Roland  Wil- 
lard's  wife." 


CHAPTER  XX 

IN    WHICH   THE   LIGHT   TURNS  TO   UTTER 
DARKNESS 

THERE  are  moments  when  a  mental  blow  has  all 
the  effects  of  a  physical  one.  My  senses  reeled  and 
flashes  of  light  passed  before  my  eyes. 

Holding  her  hands  with  a  grasp  which  must  have 
nearly  crushed  them,  I  cried  out,  "  Oh,  no,  not 
that !  You  can't  mean  that !  It  is  unthinkable !  " 

"It  is  true.  Oh,  why  did  I  not  foresee  this,  or, 
guessing  it,  why  have  I  let  it  go  on  ?  My  woman's 
instinct  warned  me  that  I  was  playing  with  fire  and 
that  it  would  consume  us  both  at  last,  and  yet  I 
could  not  tell  you." 

"  Both  ?  "  I  asked,  the  implication  that  she  too 
loved,  for  the  moment  utterly  wiping  out  the  terri 
ble  facts. 

"  Yes  —  both,  for  I,  too,  have  come  to  love  you, 
John;  love  as  I  never  have  before  or  can  again,  and 
I  am  justly  punished,  but  oh,  why  should  the  pun 
ishment  for  my  sin  fall  upon  you,  too,  my  beloved 
one?" 

"  You  love  me,  nothing  else  in  Heaven  and  earth 

281 


282 MAN  PROPOSES 

matters,"  I  replied  triumphantly,  again  attempting 
to  draw  her  into  my  arms,  but  she  pushed  me  away, 
saying,  "  No,  no,  you  must  not.  It  would  be 
wicked.  We  must  be  strong." 

"  Tell  me  dear  one,  that  it  is  not  true.  Of  course 
it  cannot  be  a  joke,  and  yet  — "  I  stopped  in  sheer 
bewilderment,  and  she  replied  with  the  suggestion 
of  a  smile  more  pitiful  than  her  tears.  "  A  sad 
jest.  It  is  true,  Heaven  help  me,  but  oh,  how  little 
Marion  and  I  saw  into  the  future  when  we  began 
it.  John,  John,  until  to-night  I  was,  oh,  so  young 
and  light.  It  has  always  been  like  that  ever  since 
we  were  children.  Marion  has  always  been  the 
sensible,  serious  one,  the  one  with  the  big  heart  and 
brain,  and  I  thoughtless,  pleasure-loving,  flighty. 
She  is  really  years  older  than  I  in  everything  that 
counts,  everything  except  mere  years.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  you  cannot  believe  it,  and  yet  it  came 
about  so  easily." 

Then  in  halting,  pathetic  sentences,  often  inter 
rupted  by  words  of  pity  and  exclamations  from  me, 
she  told  her  story. 

"  When  my  cross  fell  upon  me  —  the  only  great 
tragedy  in  my  life,  for  the  death  of  my  father, 
mother  and  brother  were  natural  events  —  my  first 
and  only  thought  was  to  flee  to  Marion's  dear  arms 
for  refuge  and  comfort,  terribly  hurt  of  course,  but, 
as  I  know  now,  not  broken  in  heart  nor  really 


LIGHT  TURNS  TO  DARKNESS    283 

deeply  stricken.  In  a  few  days  the  bitter  anguish 
from  which  I  had  thought  I  should  never  be  free, 
began  to  pass  away  from  me  like  a  bad  dream. 
Soon  I  became  almost  carefree,  and,  at  times,  nearly 
as  gay  as  before.  You  see  what  a  weak,  worthless 
woman  you  have  selected  to  fall  in  love  with,  how 
unworthy  of  your,  or  any  man's,  love.  I  have  no 
excuses  to  make;  there  is  not  a  soul  to  blame  but 
myself. 

"  And  so  my  enforced  retirement  began  to  be 
come  irksome.  I  found  that  I  still  loved  life  and 
gayety ;  that  I  was  as  capable  of  finding  pleasure  in 
them,  even  as  I  had  before  my  marriage.  I  craved 
excitement  to  make  me  forget  —  for  there  were 
brief  hours  when  the  remembrance  of  that  scene 
settled  over  me  again  like  a  dreadful  pall.  And 
then,  just  as  we  were  about  to  leave  Newport  and 
go  home  to  face  the  unhappy  situation,  Marion  be 
came  seriously  ill,  and  we  had  to  stay.  Oh,  how 
Fate  has  been  playing  with  me  as  a  cat  does  with 
a  mouse  these  last  few  weeks,  letting  me  half  es 
cape  only  to  draw  me  back  and  torture  me  again, 
me,  whose  life  had  always  been  so  quiet  and  com 
monplace. 

"  Marion  was  confined  to  her  bed ;  I  was  wild  for 
the  out-of-doors,  where  I  had  lived  all  my  life.  In 
a  moment  of  reckless  inspiration  I  suggested  that 
while  we  were  in  Newport  we  change  identities. 


284 MAN  PROPOSES 

You  see,  at  this  time  Roland  was  leaving  no  stone 
unturned  to  reach  me,  even  having  a  paid  detective 
watching  me,  and  it  seemed  as  though  this  plan 
furnished  a  splendid  way  of  eluding  him,  too. 

"  Marion,  ever  the  wiser,  did  not  want  to  agree 
to  my  mad  suggestion,  but  at  length  against  her  bet 
ter  judgment  yielded  to  my  importuning  —  I  have 
always  been  able  to  wheedle  people  into  giving  me 
my  own  way  like  that  —  and,  naturally,  she  did  not 
see  how  any  real  harm  could  come  from  such  a 
masquerade.  Who  could  have?  The  change  was 
an  easy  one  to  effect;  it  merely  required  that  I 
should  throw  off  my  newly  acquired  womanhood 
and  become  a  girl  again,  which  was  easily  done,  and 
we  exchange  names  —  for  we  were  on  the  point  of 
going  from  the  Gilmans'  to  the  Aldriches'  where 
the  servants  did  not  know  us.  And  as  for  the  outer 
world,  we  looked  so  much  alike  that  should  any 
one  meet  me  as  Miss  Marion  Lee  they  could  scarcely 
guess  that  I  was  not  indeed  my  own  sister,  we  were 
so  little  known  in  Newport.  I  did  not  go  out  into 
society,  of  course,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  ceased 
trying  to  conceal  myself,  and  met  people  frequently, 
none  of  them  ever  suspecting  that  I  was  other  than 
I  pretended  to  be,  nor  would  they  have  been  likely 
to  had  they  seen  Marion  as  well,  for,  as  a  result 
of  her  illness,  she  looked  older  than  I.  I  had  some 
trouble  in  winning  over  the  Aldriches,  they  were 


LIGHT  TURNS  TO  DARKNESS    285 

very  loath  to  be  parties  to  such  a  deception,  but  I 
succeeded  there  as  well.  Indeed,  the  idea  of  cir 
cumventing  the  detective  was  the  only  thing  that 
won  them  over,  and,  although  they  finally  agreed  to 
let  me  be  known  as  Marion,  they  would  not  call 
sister,  '  Mrs.  Willard.' 

"  Then  you  came,  and,  you  will  remember,  on  our 
first  meeting,  jumped  at  the  conclusion  that  I  really 
was  Marion,  not  Margaret.  I  thought  it  a  great 
joke  then,  and,  although  the  others  urged  me  to  let 
them  tell  you  the  truth,  I  overpersuaded  them  again, 
from  a  spirit  of  pure  mischief.  You  were  only  a 
passing  acquaintance,  I  thought,  never,  for  one  in 
stant,  imagining  that  you  would  at  once  become  so 
intimate  in  the  family,  and  such  a  constant  visitor. 
They  consented  temporarily  with  the  utmost  reluc 
tance,  particularly  Bert,  who  told  me,  with  broth 
erly  frankness,  that  I  was  a  fool  and  would  surely 
regret  it — " 

"  Yes,"  I  interrupted,  with  a  flash  of  enlighten 
ment  over  his  remarkable  behavior  when  he  thought 
that  I  was  becoming  too  interested  in  her  at  the  out 
set.  "  Bert,  you  see,  was  the  only  one  in  Newport 
who  knew  my  real  errand  here,  and  he  warned  me, 
too,  in  no  uncertain  terms  against  just  what  has 
happened." 

"If  he  had  only  told  you  the  truth  then,  how 
much  would  have  been  saved  for  both  of  us!  Poor 


286 MAN  PROPOSES 

boy,  no  wonder  he  has  been  nervous  and  irritable 
lately,  knowing  that  we  were  living  over  a  sleeping 
volcano. 

"  As  time  went  on  and  our  friendship  grew  more 
and  more,  it  became  constantly  harder  for  me  to  dis 
illusion  you,  although  all  the  while  I  knew  how 
wicked  it  was  to  keep  up  the  deception  —  and  dan 
gerous,  too  —  you  see,  a  woman  is  born  with  a  pe 
culiar  instinct  which  warns  her  when  a  man  is  be 
coming  really  interested  in  her.  But  I  don't  see, 
even  now,  why  you  didn't  guess  the  truth.  The 
family  over  and  over  again  made  the  slip  of  calling 
us  by  our  true  names  in  your  presence." 

"  I  did  notice  that  several  times,  but  if  I  thought 
of  it  at  all,  it  was  only  to  believe  that  the  slip  was 
a  natural  one,  you  looked  so  much  alike,  and  so 
firmly  established  was  the  error  in  my  mind." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so.  At  last  there  came  a  time 
when,  to  my  terror,  I  found  that  I  was  really  falling 
deep  in  love  myself,  John,  and  every  night  since  last 
Saturday  I  have  lain  awake  for  hours,  in  bitter  dis 
tress,  trying  to  screw  my  courage  to  the  sticking 
point  and  tell  you  the  truth  before  it  was  too  late, 
but  when  you  were  with  me  I  never  had  the  cour 
age  to  speak.  How  little  we  foresee  the  possible 
consequences,"  she  wailed,  "  or  how,  when  we  take 
the  first  step  in  deceit,  we  may  be  obliged  to  go  on 
and  on,  ever  sinking  deeper  into  the  quicksands  of 


LIGHT  TURNS  TO  DARKNESS     287 

falsehood,  until  they  swallow  up  our  very  souls. 
You  have  every  reason  to  hate  me  now  with  deadly 
hatred.  But,  oh,  don't  despise  me,  John,  pity  me !  " 

"  Despise  and  hate  you,  you  poor  darling?"  I 
cried,  once  more  trying  to  gather  her  into  my  arms, 
but  she  still  eluded  me.  "  I  love  you  infinitely  more 
than  before.  We  are  both  of  us  unhappy  victims 
of  fell  circumstance,  and  I  am  infinitely  more  to 
blame  than  you,  for  my  deceit  was  premeditated, 
and  but  for  it  this  would  not  have  come  upon  us. 
The  future  is  dark.  I  do  not  know  whither  we  are 
going,  but  I  do  know  that  I  love  you  with  all  my 
being,  and  that  you  love  me.  Nothing  else  counts." 

"Duty?"  she  asked,  with  that  wan  smile  most 
pitiful  to  behold. 

"Duty?  Can  you  ask?  Margaret,  I  have  just 
been  thinking  how  true  the  old  Persian  proverb  is, 
'  We  mortals  walk  through  this  life  backwards, 
seeing  only  the  path  which  we  have  traveled;  the 
future,  unseen  and  unknown,  is  unrolling  upon  us 
from  behind.'  We  do  not  face  it,  as  we  so  often 
say.  No  wonder  we  stumble  and  walk  haltingly. 
But  what  are  we  to  do?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  we  must  be  strong,  oh,  so 
strong.  And  now  we  must  go  home  —  at  once." 

This  time  I  did  not  oppose  her  wish.  In  silence 
I  aided  her  up  the  cliff,  and  in  silence,  only  speak 
ing  occasionally  of  every-day  things,  and  each 


288 MAN  PROPOSES 

studiously  avoiding  the  one  subject  that  was  filling 
our  hearts,  we  walked  through  the  darkness  home 
ward.  Once  she  stumbled  slightly,  and,  for  a  single 
moment,  filled  with  ecstasy,  I  held  her  close  to  my 
breast,  and  thereafter  I  held  her  hand  unrebuked, 
the  mere  physical  contact  making  a  medium  through 
which  our  souls  passed  into  one  another's. 

When  we  reached  the  door  of  the  Aldriches',  I 
burst  out  in  a  wild,  passionate  whisper,  "  Margaret, 
I  can't,  I  won't  give  you  up !  You  are  mine ! 
What  does  anything  else  count  if  we  are  together?  " 

"  Hush,"  she  said,  placing  her  two  hands  in  mine, 
and  I  pressed  my  lips  passionately  first  to  one  palm 
then  the  other.  "  You  must  go,  go  at  once.  We 
have  got  to  think  —  I  almost  said  '  to  sleep  ' — 
over  this,  John,  but  I'm  afraid  there  is  little  sleep 
for  either  of  us  to-night." 

"Will  you  tell  Marion?" 

"  No,  no,  I  could  not  —  yet.  It  will  be  the  first 
secret  I  have  ever  had  apart  from  her  in  my  whole 
life,"  she  added,  with  a  little  sob. 

At  this  instant  the  door  was  flung  open,  and 
Bert's  merry  face  appeared.  "  Come  inside  at  once 
or  you'll  take  your  deaths  o'  cold  standing  out  there 
in  the  snow  saying  good-by  like  a  couple  of  moon 
struck  idiots." 

How  quickly  we  mortals  can  assume  that  which 
we  do  not  feel!  I  found  myself  responding  lightly, 


LIGHT  TURNS  TO  DARKNESS    289 

and,  for  a  little  while,  we  talked  about  the  com 
ing  ball,  Margaret  promising  me  the  last  dance. 
Then  I  said  formally,  "  Good  night,  Mrs.  Wil- 
lard." 

Bert  looked  at  me  in  growing  astonishment,  and 
then  a  wave  of  tremendous  relief  passed  over  his 
countenance.  "You  know?" 

"  Why,  of  course,"  I  replied  calmly.  "  I  have 
known  for  moons." 

"  Thank  God,  that's  a  weight  off  my  chest.  And 
now  that  you  know  the  true  inwards  of  our  mixed- 
up  affairs,  I  can  impart  to  you  both  a  bit  of  marvel 
ous  information.  Before  you  stands  the  happiest 
man  alive,  for  Marion  —  the  real  one  —  has  to 
night  reconsidered  her  oft-repeated  refusal  and 
promised  to  be  the  future  Mrs.  Aldrich.  How  does 
that  sound? " 

I  did  not  dare  to  look  at  Margaret.  This  new 
happiness  which  had  come  to  her  sister  and  to  Bert, 
must  needs  make  her  trouble,  as  it  did  mine,  seem 
blacker  than  ever  by  contrast. 

Instinctively  my  lips  formed  the  stereotyped 
words  of  felicitation,  and  so  engrossed  was  Bert  in 
his  new-found  happiness  that  if  my  sentences  lacked 
anything  of  honest  warmth  he  did  not  appear  to 
notice  it. 

Margaret  stood  silent  a  moment,  then  said,  "  My 
dear,  I  wish  you  all  the  happiness  in  the  world.  Be 


290 MAN  PROPOSES 

good  to  her,  boy;  she  is  worthy  of  the  best  that 
life  can  hold."  Drawing  his  head  down,  she  kissed 
him  on  the  cheek,  and  then  with  a  sob  that  wrung 
my  heart,  ran  inside  and  up-stairs. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

IN    WHICH    THE  DIE   IS    CAST 

WITHOUT,  Japanese  lanterns  full  of  soft  colors 
\vhich  made  the  distant  gleam  of  the  stars  look 
diamond  white;  the  Casino  balcony  converted  into 
an  added  corridor  with  striped  awnings,  its  plain 
board  floor  canvas  covered.  Within,  a  glare  of 
radiance,  strains  of  sweet  dance  music  coming  from 
the  orchestra  concealed  in  a  leafy  bower  on  the 
stage ;  men  in  conventional  evening  garb  —  men 
the  possessors  of  princely  fortunes:  women,  the 
cream  of  America's  society,  in  gowns  of  shimmer 
ing  silk,  satin,  priceless  lace  or  cloth  of  gold  — 
women  on  whose  necks,  arms,  fingers,  and  in  whose 
ears  gleamed  and  glistened  countless  jewels  —  a 
king's  ransom.  This  was  the  Casino  on  the  night 
of  the  tennis  ball;  light,  music,  merriment,  laughter 
everywhere. 

Everywhere?  There  was  one  at  least  in  the  as 
semblage  of  merrymakers  to  whom  this  scene  of 
wondrous  beauty  seemed  a  sham,  an  empty  show. 

The  end  of  a  day  during  which  I  had  suffered 
the  tortures  of  a  mental  Golgotha,  found  me  with 
soul  still  on  the  rack,  mind  tortured,  the  clear  light 

291 


292  MAN  PROPOSES 

of  reason  utterly  unable  to  pierce  the  swirling 
clouds  of  dark  despair. 

I  had  not  seen  my  dear  one  during  the  day,  nor 
even  dared  to  talk  with  her  over  the  telephone,  but 
in  a  moment  perhaps,  I  was  to  meet  her,  hear  her 
loved  voice,  hold  her  in  my  arms  in  the  dance. 

I  had  purposely  not  gone  to  the  Casino  until 
nearly  midnight,  excusing  my  late  arrival  to  Mr. 
Hammond  with  the  plea  that  I  had  to  pack  for  my 
departure  on  the  morrow,  for  I  knew  that  the  ball 
would  hardly  be  in  full  swing  before  that  hour,  and 
I  guessed  that  Margaret  would  not  arrive  much 
earlier  to  endure  the  gayety  which  must  pain  her  as 
it  did  me. 

For  some  moments  I  stood  in  the  doorway, 
moodily  regarding  the  happy  dancers.  She  was  not 
on  the  floor,  I  thought.  Suddenly  my  heart 
stopped.  Mr.  Hammond  had  just  swung  past  me, 
and  in  his  arms  was  a  vision  of  wondrous  loveliness, 
gowned  in  creamy  white,  her  neck  and  arms  bare 
—  Margaret.  She  wore  no  jewels,  and  needed 
none,  but  in  her  lustrous  dark  hair  was  a  solitary 
red  rose.  I  had  never  seen  her  before  save  in 
black,  or  a  simple  dress  of  white,  and  her  beauty 
smote  my  senses  like  a  blow.  They  disappeared 
into  the  whirling  crowd,  and  I  went  outside  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  gravel  path,  still  seeing  her 
face  and  figure  everywhere. 


The  music  stopped.  I  returned  to  the  ballroom 
and,  with  almost  unseeing  eyes,  found  her  with  her 
late  partner  and  Bert,  her  escort. 

I  do  not  know  just  how  we  greeted  each  other, 
but  the  while  I  talked  in  sentences  which  seemed 
natural  and  commonplace  enough  to  my  ears,  the 
one  thought  filling  my  brain  was  that  we  were  to 
gether  again.  We  might  have  been  the  only  two 
in  the  room  for  all  I  saw  or  considered  the  others. 

The  orchestra  broke  into  the  staccato,  whispering 
chords  which  prelude  the  wonderful  melody  of 
"The  Barcarole"  from  the  "Tales  of  Hoffmann," 
accenting  it  in  slow  waltz  time.  In  every-day  tones 
I  asked  the  stereotyped  question,  "  May  I  have  the 
pleasure  ?  "  and  found  Margaret  in  my  arms  for  the 
first  time,  her  soft  breath  caressing  my  cheek  as  I 
bent  over  her. 

She  danced  divinely,  but  I  was  not  then  think 
ing  of  that  fact,  and,  after  we  had  moved  once 
about  the  floor,  I  guided  her  through  the  doorway, 
and  down  the  veranda  to  a  dim  shadowed  corner  at 
the  south  end. 

There  we  came  to  a  stop,  my  arms  still  about  her. 
I  could  feel  her  breast  rising  and  falling  close  to 
mine.  Without  speaking,  I  drew  her  slowly  closer 
and  closer  into  my  embrace.  Her  hands  crept  up 
from  my  shoulders  and  met  behind  my  neck,  her 
soft  arms  clinging  tightly,  while  Heaven  and  earth 


294 MAN  PROPOSES 

were  forgotten  in  the  wild  throb  of  our  pulsing 
hearts.  She  whispered  something  so  softly  that  at 
first  I  did  not  catch  it,  but  bending  my  head  close  to 
hers  heard  the  barely  spoken  words,  "  Kiss  me." 

My  eager  lips  sought  and  found  her  own  in  a 
lingering  kiss  which  spelt  forgetfulness.  After 
one  exquisite  moment  she  said  gently,  "  Now  let 
me  go,  John." 

Slowly  my  arms,  and  hers,  dropped,  she  turned 
toward  the  railing  and  stood  looking  over  the  dim 
courts.  I  joined  her  and  once  more  tried  to  take 
her  in  my  arms,  but  she  held  me  off  gently,  with 
her  hands  on  my  breast,  saying,  "  No,  you  must  let 
me  go,  John." 

"  Let  you  go  ?  "  I  answered  in  an  intense  whis 
per.  "  Let  you  go?  Not  while  I  live !  I  love  you 
more  than  life  itself." 

"  What  would  you  do  ?  "  she  responded  sadly, 
but  in  a  calm,  well  controlled  voice. 

"  Do  ?  I  would  take  you  far  away.  Now,  to 
night,  and  never  let  you  go  again.  Divorce  Wil- 
lard  as  you  have  planned,  or,  if  you  fail  in  that, 
Margaret,  come  with  me,  anyway.  I  will  be  all 
the  world  to  you,  dear.  I  will  spend  my  life  in  lov 
ing  you,  serving  you.  I  will  make  up  to  you  all  you 
may  lose,  my  darling,  if  you  will  but  let  me." 

"Would  you  then  sacrifice  everything  for  your 
love  for  me  ?  Think  what  it  would  mean,  John  —. 


WHICH  THE  DIE  IS  CAST     295 

friends,  your  fair  name,  duty,  your  honor  itself." 

"  Yes,  I  would  sacrifice  all  of  those  if  you  love 
me  enough  to  come. 

"  Margaret,  I  tell  you  truly  that,  although  I  am 
poor,  I  am  as  proud  as  Lucifer.  I  would  joyfully 
give  all  the  little  that  I  have  if  you,  too,  were  in 
poverty.  There  is  nothing  that  could  gall  my  spirit 
more  than  the  feeling  that  I  was,  even  for  a  little 
while,  dependent  upon  your  wealth  and  charity. 
Yet,  even  under  these  conditions,  I  can  humble  my 
pride  and  beg  you  to  take  me  —  yes,  support  me  — 
until  I  can  make  a  new  start  in  life  and  earn  for 
us  both,  so  much  do  I  love  you.  And,  have  no 
fear,  with  you  for  my  incentive  I  would  suc 
ceed." 

"  Wait,  John,"  she  interrupted.  "  Your  love  is 
overriding  your  reason.  What  of  all  your  former 
pleas  on  behalf  of  law,  conventions,  duty?  " 

"  I  was  wrong,  all  wrong,  and  you  were  right, 
I  admit  it  freely.  You,  yourself,  have  persuaded 
me  that  love  is  the  greatest  thing,  greater  than  all 
these." 

"  No,  my  dear.  I  have  not  persuaded  you. 
Your  own  heart  has  convinced  itself,  but  not  your 
mind,  and  when  you  pause  to  think  —  oh,  don't 
tempt  me  too  far,  John,  or  I  —  But  you  are  a 
perfect  lover,  dear.  Do  you  really  care  that 
much  ?  " 


296  MAN  PROPOSES 

"  Yes,  and  more.  But  you  —  you  do  not  love 
me  enough  to  — -" 

The  fierce  intensity  of  her  reply  thrilled  and  al 
most  frightened  me.  "Not  love  you  enough?  I 
do,  I  love  you  enough  to  sacrifice  all  these  things 
too,  and  to  do  as  you  ask  without  a  thought  of  the 
future.  I  could  divorce  my  husband,  or,  if  that  is 
impossible,  come  to  you  without  it,  even  though 
my  reason  shouts  out  that  by  doing  so  I  would  be 
deliberately  entering  the  gates  of  Hell  itself. 
How  strange  it  is,  John,  that  my  wild  plea  for  love 
supreme  over  all  else  has  so  captured  you,  while  the 
seeds  of  reason  which  you  sowed  in  my  mind  that 
morning  on  the  cliffs  only  needed  this  great  storm 
in  my  life  to  bring  them  to  full  growth.  I  see 
now,  as  never  before,  that  to  yield  to  our  desires 
would  mean  that  we  were  blindly  sowing  a  crop 
of  tares  which,  in  after  life,  we  would  have  to  reap 
in  bitterness  of  soul.  Yes,  your  man-made  laws 
and  conventions  are  the  safeguards  of  morality  and 
the  race,  and  no  human  being  can  safely  say,  *  I  can 
ignore  them  with  impunity.'  He  or  she  must 
sooner  or  later  suffer  the  loss  of  everything  worth 
while  —  except  love,  and  even  that,  my  dear,  might 
fail  at  last.  A  house  builded  upon  the  shifting 
sands,  you  know." 

"  No,  never  our  love,  surely."   - 

"  I'm  not  so  sure.    When  self-respect  is  gone 


IN  WHICH  THE  DIE  IS  CAST     297 

and  the  world  has  turned  its  face  away,  even  that, 
too,  is  likely  to  wane.  But,  John,  I  love  you  enough 
to  take  my  chance  with  you,  open  eyed.  It  would 
be  easy,  oh,  so  easy." 

"  Then  you  will — "  I  began  exultantly. 

"  No.  I  love  you  that  much,  and  more.  Even 
if  I  were  sure  that  on  sober  second  thought  you 
would  not  repent  of  your  hasty  step,  I  can  not  suf 
fer  you  to  make  that  sacrifice.  Think,  John,  what 
it  would  mean  beside  the  inevitable  results  in  this 
case,  if  you,  coming  here  to  take  me  back  to  my 
husband,  his  trusted  friend  and  counselor,  should 
abuse  that  sacred  trust  and  steal  the  wife  for  your 
self.  You  would  be  the  worst  kind  of  a  traitor,  a 
very  Judas  who  betrayed  his  friend  with  a  kiss. 
We  cannot  help  our  love.  It  came  unbidden.  This 
wicked  thing  we  can  prevent,  and  my  love  for  you 
makes  your  honor  so  dear  to  me  that  I  will  not  let 
it  be  sullied." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Margaret  ?  You  cannot 
think  of  going  back.  .  .  ." 

"  Yes.  To-morrow  morning  I  am  going  back 
to  — "  her  voice  broke, — "  to  my  husband." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  that !  You  must  not !  There  is 
still  divorce." 

"  No.  I  have  thought  it  all  out  to-day.  Now  I 
would  not  be  seeking  my  freedom  honestly,  nor  for 
the  reasons  that  have  moved  me  to.  The  evil  would 


298 MAN  PROPOSES 

still  persist,  and  if  I  married  you  afterwards,  your 
breach  of  trust  would  be  the  same." 

"  But  I  cannot,  will  not,  let  you  sacrifice  your 
self  thus  for  me,"  I  protested  in  anguish.  "  I  can 
go  away,  never  see  you  again,  but  not  that.  Why, 
don't  you  see?  You  are  deliberately  planning  to 
condemn  yourself  to  a  life  of  hateful  slavery,  noth 
ing  less." 

"  No,  John,  you  are  wrong.  Roland  Willard  is 
a  good  and  worthy  man.  I  believe  it  implicitly, 
now  that  my  eyes  have  been  opened.  I  shall  be  a 
faithful,  perhaps  in  time,  a  loving  wife  to  him.  I 
may,  in  time,  even  be  really  happy  —  I'm  sure  I 
hope  so  —  and  I  will  be  doing  my  sacred  duty.  I 
cannot  pretend  that  I  shall  ever  love  him  as  I  do 
you,  or  that  he  can  ever  be  first  in  my  heart,  al 
though  he  must  never  know  that.  No,  dear,  it  is 
not  for  myself  that  I  am  afraid,  but  for  you.  I 
shall  always  pray  that  you  may  be  strong  for  my 
sake,  as  I  shall  be,  in  the  knowledge  of  your  love. 
I  shall  even  pray  that  in  time  you  may  come  to 
love  another  and  marry  her." 

"Never!" 

"  Don't  make  any  rash  promises,  boy.  A  man 
may  really  love  deeply  many  times,  a  woman  only 
once,  'tis  said." 

"  Oh,  but  Margaret,  you  are  not  really  in  earnest ! 
This  unthinkable  thing  must  not  be." 


IN  WHICH  THE  DIE  IS  CAST    299 

"  It  must  be.  It  is  the  only  way  out  of  the 
shadows." 

The  utter  finality  of  her  answer  left  me  in  a  daze. 
I  could  not  force  my  mind  to  the  realization  that. I 
was  actually  losing  her.  From  within  came  float 
ing  the  appealing  strain,  the  English  words  to  which 
run,  "  Lovely  night,  oh,  night  of  love,  be  kind  to 
happy  lovers."  Happy  lovers!  All  the  world  was 
becoming  a  bitter  jest. 

I  turned  rebelliously  and  tried  again  to  take  her 
in  my  arms  and  kiss  her,  but  she  held  me  away. 

"  Not  again,  dear.  I  wanted  that  one  kiss  to  test 
my  purpose  and  to  hide  away  in  my  memory  book, 
which  I  now  seal  and  put  away  in  sweet  lavender  so 
that  moths  may  not  creep  in  and  corrupt.  I  may 
take  it  out  sometimes  when  I  am  alone,  and  cry  over 
it  a  little.  That  is  all." 

Helpless  before  this  unshakable  decision,  I  could 
only  whisper  brokenly,  "  You  are  a  braver  woman 
than  I  am  a  man,  and  infinitely  better."  She  placed 
her  fingers  over  my  lips.  With  a  sudden  resolve 
born  of  her  courage,  I  said,  "  I  will  take  you  to  Bos 
ton  to  —  to  him,  to-morrow." 

"  No !  no !  I  could  not  bear  that ;  I  must  go 
alone !  Come,  we  must  go  in,  they  are  playing  an 
other  number  and  Bert  will  be  wondering  where  I 
am,"  and,  although  I  gave  her  my  arm,  it  was  she 
who  directed  our  course  back  to  the  ballroom.  I 


MAN  PROPOSES 


surrendered  her  into  Bert's  charge,  and  without 
touching  her  hand,  bowed,  and  said,  "  Good-by," 
and  then  made  my  way  as  quickly  as  possible  out 
side. 

How  I  spent  the  remaining  hours  of  the  night 
I  cannot  remember  clearly.  At  one  time  I  stood 
on  the  spot  where  we  had  watched  the  magic  sun 
rise  together,  at  another,  at  the  foot  of  the  Forty 
Steps,  the  bitter-sweet  memories  adding  poignancy 
to  my  despair. 

Once  the  idea  came,  to  end  it  all  there,  but  the 
ingrained  instinct  of  self-preservation  was  too 
strong,  and  the  thought  passed. 

As  the  gray  dawn  began  to  break  dully,  I  headed 
for  home.  Once  an  early  milk  wagon  passed  me, 
and  I  heard,  as  though  spoken  afar  off,  the  words 
which  the  driver  did  not  try  to  keep  from  my  ears, 
"  Lookit  the  society  souse  beating  it  for  home  in 
his  glad  rags.  Wonder  where  he  lost  his  buzz 
wagon." 

No  one  was  astir  at  the  Hammond  house  and  I 
let  myself  in  and  reached  my  room  unnoticed. 
Once  there  I  cast  myself  upon  the  bed,  still  dressed, 
and  fell  into  the  sleep  of  utter  exhaustion. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

IN    WHICH    I   BURN    MY    BRIDGES 

MR.  HAMMOND'S  hearty  voice  and  heavy  hand  on 
the  door  aroused  me. 

"  Wake  up,  lazy  bones !  You  may  not  know  it, 
but  you're  far  too  busy  a  man  to  oversleep  of  a 
morning.  Here's  a  telegram  that  requires  your  im 
mediate  attention,"  and  he  slipped  the  thin  yellow 
envelope  under  the  door,  and  added,  "  Have  a  good 
time  last  night?  " 

"  Very  fair,"  I  answered  mechanically  and  only 
half  awake,  and  then  the  flood  of  black  memories 
engulfed  my  mind,  and  I  turned  on  the  bed  with  a 
groan  and  hid  my  face  in  the  pillow.  My  host  must 
have  caught  the  sound,  for  he  called,  "  Not  sick,  are 
you,  John  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  you.     Just  done  up  a  bit." 

"  Well,  don't  get  up  unless  you  find  that  you  have 
to.  I  guess  you've  been  overdoing  it  a  bit  lately, 
burning  the  candle  at  both  ends.  Take  it  easy  this 
morning,  breakfast  will  keep." 

I  rose  and  picked  up  the  telegram,  surmising  that 

301 


302 MAN  PROPOSES 

the  message  was  from  my  Petersburg  correspondent 
since  he  was  about  the  only  person  to  whom  I  had 
sent  my  Newport  address,  but  before  opening  it, 
undressed  and  indulged  in  a  stinging  cold  plunge 
which  revived  my  body,  without  helping  my  mind. 
The  message  read,  "  OLD  BROTHER  REFUSES  TO 

SIGN  UNREASONABLY  HOSTILE  TO  L  FAMILY  BUT 
THINK  HE  MAY  BE  BOUGHT  FOR  WHAT  SUM  HAVE 
I  YOUR  AUTHORITY  TO  DRAW  ON  YOU  FOR  FUNDS  IF 
NECESSARY." 

I  experienced  a  further  feeling  of  deep  deject- 
ment.  Was  I  to  fail  in  this  endeavor  too,  just  when 
success  seemed  assured? 

In  my  present  upset  state  of  mind  it  seemed  to  me 
that  Fate  had  suddenly  turned  upon  me  maliciously, 
and  after  leading  me  deep  into  the  bog  by  her  will- 
o'-the-wisp  of  early  successes  which  gave  such 
glowing  promise  of  final  accomplishment  of  all  my 
dreams,  was  now  leaving  no  stone  unturned  to 
thwart  and  injure  me. 

"  Whom  the  gods  destroy  they  first  make  mad." 
Mr.  Hammond's  quotation  came  afresh  into  my 
mind.  Truly  I  had  been  mad.  Was  I  now  to  be 
destroyed  utterly? 

But,  as  I  dressed,  the  thought  grew  in  my  mind 
that  this  new  turn  of  affairs  offered,  in  a  way,  a  par 
tial  solution  to  my  immediate  problem,  for  my  be 
ing  revolted  at  the  thought  of  returning  home  to 


I  BURN  MY  BRIDGES         303 

take  up  the  dreary  work  again  at  the  office  where 
my  disastrous  mission  had  had  its  inception,  with 
the  chance  of  meeting  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard  at  any 
time. 

It  was  peculiar  but  true,  that  at  this  time  so 
filled  was  I  with  my  own  trouble  that  I  entirely 
overlooked  the  fact  that  in  reality  my  main  mission 
had  been  successfully  ended  and  that  I  had  accom 
plished  exactly  what  I  set  out  to  do. 

Here,  then,  was  an  opportunity  for  temporary  re 
lief.  I  would  go  to  Petersburg  myself  and,  if  pos 
sible,  complete  the  task  Jack  had  undertaken  and 
begun  for  me,  for  I  knew  that  even  if  I  had  to  draw 
on  Mr.  Willard's  money,  it  would  meet  with  his 
approval  from  a  business  standpoint,  and  I  cared 
in  no  other  way. 

The  more  I  thought  about  it  the  stronger  it  ap 
pealed  to  me.  The  very  bottom  of  my  little  world 
had  fallen  out,  I  could  see  no  light  in  the  dark  fu 
ture,  and  all  I  knew  was  that  I  wanted  to  get  far 
away  from  everything  that  would  remind  me  of  the 
past. 

To  get  away  from  it  all!  The  idea  became  an 
obsession  and  as  soon  as  I  got  down-stairs,  entirely 
careless  of  the  future,  I  wrote  a  brief  note  to 
Thomas,  Richards  and  Henry  advising  them  that 
I  would  not  return  to  their  employ.  I  would  burn 
all  my  bridges  behind  me,  come  what  might. 


304 MAN  PROPOSES 

After  a  tasteless  breakfast,  during  which  my  host 
insisted  that  I  must  be  ill,  I  used  the  telephone  to 
such  good  advantage  that  in  a  few  moments  I  had 
engaged  passage  and  berth  on  the  nine-fifteen  train 
for  Virginia  that  evening. 

I  explained  the  reason  for  my  hasty  departure 
to  Mr.  Hammond,  and  he  once  more  proved  him 
self  a  true  friend,  by  taking  me  to  his  bank  and  giv 
ing  me  a  certified  check  for  twelve  hundred  dollars 
in  exchange  for  my  own  which  represented  Mr. 
Willard's  thousand,  still  practically  intact,  and  all 
my  own  worldly  goods,  with  the  exception  of  a 
moderate  sum  in  a  savings  bank. 

We  parted  at  noon  with  expressions  of  much  re 
gret  on  both  sides  and  with  mutual  promises  to  re 
new  our  friendship  at  another  time,  and  by  the  mid 
dle  of  the  evening  I  was  speeding  away  from  the 
scene  of  my  tragedy,  as  fast  as  a  modern  express 
train  could  carry  me.  Before  retiring  I  wrote  a 
letter  of  thanks  to  Hammond  and  the  Aldriches, 
one  of  congratulation  to  Marion  and  Bert,  and  tried 
many  times  to  indite  a  note  to  Margaret,  finally 
tearing  up  the  final  copy.  There  was  really  noth 
ing  more  to  be  said. 

But  twelve  days  had  elapsed  since  that  fatal 
morning  in  Mr.  Thomas'  office  —  a  long  or  short 
period  depending  upon  how  one  regards  it.  For 
some  it  would  represent  as  many  days  of  toil  and 


I  BURN  MY  BRIDGES         305 

sleep  and  thirty-six  meals,  to  others  it  is  time 
enough  in  which  to  win  a  kingdom  or  make  a  for 
tune.  In  it  I  had  found  and  lost  a  soul,  and  changed 
from  a  happy  boy  into  a  sober,  serious  man. 

By  this  time  doubtless,  my  former  chief  had 
learned  from  Mr.  Willard  that  my  mission  had  been 
crowned  with  complete  success,  and  was  congratu 
lating  himself  upon  his  perspicacity  in  the  choice  of 
his  agent,  and  perhaps  wondering  what  would  be  a 
proper  fee  for  professional  services  in  re  "  return  of 
one  erring  bride  to  her  husband's  arms." 

As  I  lay  tossing  and  turning  in  my  stuffy  berth, 
the  heat  almost  unbearable  in  spite  of  wide  open 
window  and  electric  fan,  my  thoughts  pictured 
kaleidoscopically  again  and  again  each  incident  of 
my  stay  in  Newport  until  the  moment  that  Mar 
garet  had  parted  from  me. 

Beyond  that  point  they  refused  to  go.  The 
thought  of  her  as  Roland  Willard's  wife  was  in 
tolerable. 

Before  leaving  New  York  I  had  telegraphed  to 
Jack  of  my  coming,  and  when,  just  before  eight 
o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  I  disembarked  from 
the  train  at  the  Byrd  Street  station  in  Richmond,  I 
found  him  waiting  to  meet  me. 

We  had  not  set  eyes  on  each  other  since  law 
school  days  four  years  previous,  but  the  unmistak 
able  warmth  of  his  welcome  went  a  long  way  to- 


306 MAN  PROPOSES 

ward  cheering  me  up.  Together  we  made  the  short 
trip  to  Petersburg  and  there  he  carried  me  off  to  his 
own  home.  When  we  were  inside  he  turned  and 
placed  his  hands  on  my  shoulders,  saying,  "  Old 
man,  pardon  my  frankness,  but  you  look  like  the 
devil.  Either  I've  been  doing  you  a  grave  injus 
tice,  and  you  really  have  been  working  your  head 
off,  or  else  the  gay  life  of  Newport  has  done  its 
deadly  work.  Now  I've  got  an  idea  and  a  proposi 
tion,  and  since  I  won't  take  '  no  *  for  an  answer,  you 
needn't  bother  to  reply  at  all. 

"Usually  about  this  time  of  year  I  take  my  va 
cation.  Go  on  a  camping  trip  all  by  my  lonely 
among  the  Cumberland  mountains,  which  are  now 
adays  so  much  before  the  public  eye  as  a  result  of 
the  innumerable  thrilling  novels  they  are  grinding 
out,  dealing  with  the  manners  and  feuds  of  our  un- 
regenerate  mountaineers  there.  I've  postponed  it 
to  date  in  order  to  get  this  affair  of  yours  cleaned 
up  first,  but  just  the  minute  that's  finished,  it  is  me 
—  that  is,  us,  now  —  for  the  tall  hills  and  the  tall 
timber.  It's  God's  own  country  for  beauty,  and  in 
the  part  I  visit,  about  as  wild  as  they  make  it.  In 
fact,  few  men  could  go  there  and  carry  a  gun  with 
impunity.  The  ordinary  stranger  who  tried  to  hunt 
it,  would  pretty  surely  meet  with  a  fatal  accident 
sooner  or  later,  but  I'm  a  privileged  character,  so 
to  speak. 


I  BURN  MY  BRIDGES         307 

"  My  father  came  from  that  beautifully  uncivi 
lized  blood-pure  stock  and  although  I  am  looked 
down  upon  as  a  degenerate,  I  am  not  a  '  f urriner ' 
but  still  one  of  the  clan,  and  can  therefore  wander 
about  at  will.  I  suppose  they  regard  me  something 
as  we  would  a  harmless  idiot,  to  be  pitied,  but  free 
to  come  and  go  unmolested  and  regain  a  little  health 
and  strength  at  the  fountain  source. 

"  It  is  truly  a  wonderful  country,  and  you're  sure 
to  enjoy  it  tremendously.  Why,  a  fortnight  there 
will  make  a  new  man  of  you,  or  I  miss  my  guess. 

"  Now  that  being  all  nicely  settled  " —  I  had  not 
had  an  opportunity  to  say  a  word  — "  let's  get  down 
to  business  and  get  it  over  with.  I'll  blow  up  and 
burst  if  I  have  to  stay  in  this  sweltering  heat  an 
other  day." 

I  had  no  thought  of  refusing  his  proposition.  It 
came  to  me  like  a  gift  from  Heaven :  a  floating  spar 
to  the  clutch  of  a  ship-wrecked  mariner  adrift  on 
a  stormswept  sea,  and  like  a  drowning  man,  I  seized 
upon  it,  for  it  offered  a  chance  to  see  and  do  some 
thing  new  which  might  make  me  forget  a  little. 

In  the  hour  before  lunch  I  told  him  all  I  knew 
of  Manners'  plans  and  operations,  and  Jack  added 
materially  to  my  own  knowledge  about  the  com 
pany's  methods  and  the  present  situation. 

The  Lee  homestead,  together  with  quite  an  ex 
tensive  estate  and  holdings,  he  said,  were  located 


308 MAN  PROPOSES 

some  twenty  miles  west  of  the  city,  just  at  the  edge 
of  one  of  the  sections  of  the  commonwealth  rich 
in  forests  of  cypress,  short-leafed  pine,  and  red 
cedar.  This  whole  tract  of  valuable  woodland,  ex 
cept  for  a  comparatively  narrow  strip  which  pretty 
nearly  bisected  it,  had  been  acquired,  much  of  it,  by 
the  most  bald-faced  chicanery,  by  the  Virginia 
Hardwood  Development  Company,  a  corporation  of 
unscrupulous  New  York  promoters  under  the  lead 
ership  and  thumb  of  Manners.  Borroughs  had  al 
ready  been  retained  in  several  instances  to  fight  its 
encroachments,  and  had  been  generally  successful, 
although  with  its  almost  limitless  resources  and  the 
services  of  several  of  the  leading  New  York  and 
Richmond  attorneys  at  its  command,  it  had  come 
out  victorious  in  one  or  two  cases. 

He  was,  therefore,  in  the  present  fight  heart  and 
soul,  and  extravagantly  protested  that  he  would 
give  a  year  from  his  life  to  beat  them  soundly  on 
this  particular  point,  for  the  narrow  strip  of  land 
which  belonged  to  the  Lee  family  was,  if  not  ex 
actly  indispensable,  of  tremendous  value  to  the 
corporation  in  getting  out  its  cut  wood  with  facil 
ity. 

Colonel  Lee  had  purchased  this  strip  nearly  three 
years  before,  primarily  to  protect  his  homestead, 
which  was  situated  near  it,  foreseeing,  even  then, 
just  what  was  now  occurring,  and  in  that  deed, 


I  BURX  MY  BRIDGES         309 

given  by  one  Edith  deVignier,  occurred  the  possibly 
dangerous  flaw  which  one  of  the  aforesaid  un 
scrupulous  but  clever  lawyers  had  lit  upon. 

It  had  taken  Jack  some  time  to  untangle  the  facts 
surrounding  the  giving  of  the  deed  in  question,  so. 
peculiar  were  they.  It  seemed  that  the  estate  proper 
had  been  purchased  by  a  Lee  forebear  from  the 
father  of  the  present  generation  of  deVigniers, 
more  than  sixty  years  before,  but  the  original  grant 
did  not  include  the  wood  strip  which  was  the  sub 
ject  of  the  present  controversy. 

This  had  passed  by  will  in  the  distributing  of 
deVignier's  remaining  estate,  to  his  youngest 
daughter  Edith,  a  minor,  much  younger  than  her 
next  oldest  sister.  She  had  sold  it  for  a  moderate, 
but  wholly  adequate  consideration  to  Colonel  Lee, 
as  they  all  supposed  on  the  very  day  that  she  be 
came  of  age,  some  three  years  before.  She  died 
within  a  year,  leaving  as  her  only  heirs  the  two  old 
sisters  whose  signatures  to  a  confirmatory  deed 
Jack  had  already  acquired  easily,  and  a  still  older 
brother  who  was  our  present  stumbling  block. 
All  this  history  Jack  had  dug  out  with  the  help  of 
the  two  living  sisters  and  the  old  family  Bible,  and, 
according  to  its  testimony,  Edith  had  indeed  at 
tained  her  majority  on  the  day  that  the  deed  was 
dated.  They  could  distinctly  recall  that  all  her  little 
birthday  parties  were  held  on  that  day  of  the  month, 


310 MAN  PROPOSES 

bolstering  up  their  memories  by  the  means  of  in 
numerable  family  incidents  connected  therewith. 

But  despite  all  this  accumulative  evidence  the 
Parish  register,  through  some  mistake,  inexplicable 
to  them  at  first,  had  her  birth  recorded  as  a  day 
later,  and  in  time  one  of  the  good  old  ladies  re 
membered  that  their  baby  sister  was  born  almost  ex 
actly  at  midnight  and  whereas  their  father  had  evi 
dently  decided  that  the  great  event  occurred  on 
the  twenty-first,  the  family  doctor  had  apparently 
in  making  out  his  certificate  called  it  the  twenty- 
second.  This  record  being  prima  facie  evidence  of 
her  age,  she  was  still  a  minor  when  she  gave  the 
deed,  and  if  it,  rather  than  the  family  Bible,  were 
right,  the  deed  was  voidable. 

The  attorney  who  had  discovered  this  discrep 
ancy  had  not  talked  with  the  old  ladies,  but  Jack 
strongly  suspected  that  he  had  with  their  brother. 
If  his  memory  of  the  facts  had  been  refreshed 
along  the  lines  of  the  corporation's  desires,  and  he 
could  be  prevailed  upon  by  it  to  make  its  interests 
his  own,  we  might  be  up  against  it,  for  a  deed  given 
by  a  minor  is  voidable  unless  reaffirmed  by  the 
grantor  after  coming  of  age,  and  in  this  particular 
case  she  had  died  a  short  time  after  without  either 
reaffirming  or  avoiding  it.  Her  right  to  do  so  of 
course  passed  to  her  legal  heirs. 

Since  all  parties  took  it  for  granted  that  the  deed 


I  BURN  MY  BRIDGES         311 

was  a  perfectly  proper  one,  her  sisters  and  brother 
had,  up  to  the  present,  taken  no  action  either. 

By  law,  if  Edith  were  really  a  minor  when  she 
gave  the  deed,  she  would  have  a  reasonable  time 
after  she  became  of  age  to  avoid  it,  and  since  she 
died  before  such  a  time  had  expired,  the  question 
then  arose,  whether  or  not  her  heirs,  by  sleeping  for 
three  years  on  their  right  to  do  what  she  might  have 
done  —  that  is,  avoid  the  deed  and  reclaim  the  land 
—  had  lost  it. 

This  was  a  very  pretty  legal  question,  and,  Jack 
told  me,  close  to  the  line  under  Virginia  law.  He 
had  found  no  case  directly  in  point  but  there  was 
a  decision  back  in  the  eighties,  and  prior  to  the 
statute  enabling  a  married  woman  to  convey  as 
though  single,  which  allowed  one  who  had  conveyed 
property  when  under  legal  age,  to  avoid  that  deed 
twenty-eight  years  later  and  three  years  after  her 
husband  died.  Jack  was  afraid  that  the  corpora 
tion  attorney  would  see  the  analogy  between  this 
and  the  present  case  and  rely  upon  that  decision  as 
authority  that  three  years  after  becoming  enabled 
to  act  was  not  so  long  a  time  as  to  bar  the  heirs, 
or  any  one  of  them,  from  acting. 

Pie  pointed  out  that  whether  this  theory  would 
hold  water  was  a  doubtful  question,  even  admitting 
that  the  deed  was  given  while  Edith  was  still  a 
minor,  but  if  the  corporation  could,  for  a  small 


312 MAN  PROPOSES 

sum,  buy  the  elder  brother  to  make  the  claim,  they 
would  have  at  least  a  fighting  chance  of  getting  the 
land  for  little  or  nothing,  or  they  might  be  hoping 
to  use  the  threat  of  a  law  suit  over  the  land  to  force 
the  Lee  sisters  to  sell  it  to  them.  Personally,  Jack 
thought  this  the  more  likely. 

As  he  had  told  me  before,  he  had  easily  gained 
the  signatures  of  the  two  old  sisters  to  a  confirma 
tory  deed,  as  soon  as  he  could  make  them  under 
stand  what  it  was  all  about,  for  they  looked  upon  it 
as  their  sacred  duty  to  do  everything  in  their  power 
to  carry  out  the  clear  intentions  of  their  dear,  dead 
sister,  and  so  prevent  injustice  being  done  through  a 
technicality.  Not  so  their  brother.  Jack  said  that 
he  could  not  say  for  certain  whether  or  not  he  had 
actually  been  approached  by  the  corporation's  at 
torney,  but  if  not,  he  had  displayed  a  surprisingly 
keen  grasp  of  the  fact  that  here  was  a  situation 
which  might  somehow  be  turned  to  his  advantage, 
and  with  an  acuteness  that  took  Jack  off  his  feet, 
had  calmly  refused  to  join  in  the  confirmatory  deed, 
until,  at  least,  he  had  given  the  matter  his  most  care 
ful  consideration. 

This  was  the  situation  at  the  present  moment,  but 
so  confident  was  Jack  that  even  if  the  company  did 
succeed  in  bribing  deVignier  to  make  entry  for  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  the  deed,  we  could  defeat  the 
claim,  that  he  strongly  advised  me  not  to  offer  the 


I  BURX  MY  BRIDGES         313 

old  codger  over  a  hundred  dollars  at  the  most,  for 
his  signature  to  the  confirmatory  instrument. 

Our  discussion  of  the  various  points  of  this  pe 
culiar  situation  lasted  through  lunch.  At  its  ter 
mination  Jack  rose,  saying,  "  There's  nothing  like 
striking  while  the  iron's  hot.  Just  about  this  time 
of  day  we  should  run  into  the  '  Colonel '  ensconced 
on  the  piazza  of  the  '  Mansion  House  '  " —  which, 
he  explained,  was  a  family  hotel  where  many  of 
the  old  customs  of  "  befo'  de  war  "  still  persisted. 

As  we  walked  toward  that  hostelry  he  primed  me 
for  the  coming  interview.  "  You'll  find  that  you 
will  have  to  handle  the  old  fellow  with  kid  gloves, 
John.  He's  quite  a  character,  in  fact  I  think  that 
he  prides  himself  on  being  an  exact  reproduction 
of  a  Southern  '  colonel '  as  they  are  caricatured  by 
your  comic  weeklies  up  North.  The  '  Colonel '  part 
of  his  name  is,  by  the  way,  only  a  myth.  He  has 
gracefully  appropriated  that  honorable  title  for 
years,  although  he  never  belonged  to  any  military 
organization  in  his  life,  and,  it  is  said,  went  so  far 
as  to  sham  illness  to  escape  being  drafted  at  the  end 
of  the  Civil  War.  But,  knowing  this,  don't  for 
goodness'  sake  look  astonished  if  he  should  apologize 
for  failing  to  rise  when  you  meet  him,  on  the  ground 
that  his  old  wound  is  so  stiff." 

"  That's  another  myth,  but  he  has  told  the  story 
so  often  that  it  has  become  one  of  his  pet  memories, 


314 MAN  PROPOSES 

and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  he  really  believes 
it  himself  by  this  time.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is 
that  he  broke  his  ankle  falling  over  a  stone  wall  in 
his  mad  rush  to  escape  when  a  false  alarm  was 
raised  that  the  Yankees  were  headed  toward  his 
home.  I  don't  know  where  his  share  of  courage 
went  to,  for  his  'father  and  all  his  ancestors  were 
regular  fire-eaters." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

IN    WHICH    OF    CERTAIN    NEGOTIATIONS    SUCCESS 
FULLY    CARRIED    THROUGH 

WE  set  forth,  and,  sure  enough,  there  on  the  low 
veranda  of  the  Mansion  House  was  the  object  of  our 
search,  leaning  contentedly  back  in  a  cane-seated 
chair,  with  his  feet  elevated  to  the  railing.  A  heavy 
cane  lay  on  the  floor  at  his  side.  It  was  all  I  could 
do  to  retain  my  mirth,  his  appearance  coincided 
with  Jack's  description  so  exactly.  "  Colonel " 
deVignier  was,  at  this  time,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
sixty-five  years  old,  tall  and  stately  in  bearing  — 
though  somewhat  gaunt  —  and  possessed  of  a  won 
derful  sweeping  mustache  and  goatee,  snow  white 
save  where  stained  a  rich  seal  brown  by  tobacco 
juice,  and  his  head  was  covered  by  a  thatch  of  thick 
white  hair  worn  long.  He  was  clad  in  a  loose  suit 
of  butternut  brown  almost  martial  in  cut,  but  gen 
teelly  shabby,  and  wore  a  broad-brimmed  gray  felt 
hat  and  a  flowing  black  tie.  Every  moment  or  two 
he  expectorated  over  the  railing  with  wonderful 
accuracy  without  even  changing  his  position. 

Jack,  with  his  hand  on  my  arm,  steered  me  half- 

315 


316 MAN  PROPOSES 

way  past  the  house,  then  stopped  suddenly,  as 
though  having  just  noticed  the  "  Colonel,"  and 
turned  into  the  path  casually,  calling,  "  Good  after 
noon,  Colonel  deVignier.  Seeing  you  here  reminds 
me  of  that  little  matter  we  have  been  discussing. 
Can't  I  bring  that  deed  around  for  your  signature 
this  afternoon?  Oh,  pardon  me,  John,  you  must 
meet  our  Colonel  deVignier.  Colonel,  allow  me  to 
present  John  Alden  Shaw  of  Boston." 

"  Ah'm  honored,  sah,"  said  the  colonel,  removing 
his  hat  with  a  stately  movement,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  seated.  "  Ah  trust  that  yo'll  pardon  ma 
not  risin'  to  greet  yo',  sah,  but  this  damned  humid 
weather  inev'tably  starts  ma  old  wound  to  throb 
bing  afresh.  '  John  Alden  Shaw,'  did  yo'  say,  Mis 
ter  Borroughs  ?  The  name  has  a  familiar  ring  to  it, 
sah.  Perhaps  yo'  are  a  descendant  of  that  worthy 
Puritan  so  famous  in  hist'ry  and  lit'rature." 

I  modestly  admitted  the  allegation. 

"  Ah  congratulate  yo',  sah.  A  splendid  and  virile 
band  of  heroes  scarcely  inferior  to  our  Virginia 
gallants  who  reached  this  continent  a  few  years 
previous,  and  from  one  of  whom  Ah  have  the  honor 
of  descending.  A  great  race,  sah,  a  splendid  herit- 
age." 

I  was  a  little  in  doubt  whether  he  was  now  re 
ferring  to  my  ancestors  or  his  own,  so  I  replied, 
"  I  am  indeed  honored  to  know  you,  Colonel." 


NEGOTIATIONS 317 

He  waved  his  hand  with  a  depreciatory  gesture, 
saying,  "  Won't  yo'  take  a  char,  sah?  "  His  invita 
tion  did  not  include  Jack,  so  I  thanked  him  but  re 
mained  standing,  and  my  comrade,  grinning  de 
lightedly  behind  our  host's  back,  said,  "  Well, 
Colonel,  what  about  that  little  matter?  Of  course 
you're  going  to  do  the  right  thing  and  give  us  your 
signature  to  the  confirmatory  deed." 

The  colonel  drew  himself  up  impressively  and 
gave  Jack  a  withering  glance  from  beneath  his 
heavy  eyebrows.  "  Mister  Borroughs,  sah,  Ah  do 
not  car'  fo'  the  implication  contained  in  yo'  remark, 
sah.  Yo'  may  be  sho'  that  Ah  will  do  the  right 
thing,  as  ma  conscience  shows  it  to  me.  As  yet  Ah 
have  not  given  the  matter  ma  serious  consideration. 
Ah  beg  that  yo'  will  not  bother  me  with  such  a  trifle 
now,  nor  am  Ah  in  the  habit  of  discussin'  matters 
of  business  in  the  presence  of  ma  guests." 

Jack  did  not  appear  a  particle  impressed,  but  re 
plied  breezily,  "  Oh,  as  far  as  that  goes,  you  need 
not  worry.  It  happens  that  Mr.  Shaw  is  Miss  Lee's 
Boston  attorney  and,  as  such,  somewhat  familiar 
with  the  facts."  He  winked  at  me  and  I  seized  this 
cue  to  ask,  "  What  matter  is  that,  Borroughs  ?  " 

"  Why,  that  possible  question  about  the  deed  to  the 
Lee  woodland.  You  know  that  it  has  been  sug 
gested,  because  of  the  recent  activities  of  a  question 
able  nature  by  the  Hardwood  Corporation,  that  we 


318 MAX  PROPOSES 

make  assurance  doubly  sure  and  cure  that  possible 
technical  flaw  in  the  deed  by  imposing  upon  the  pres 
ent  deVigniers'  good  nature  for  a  confirmatory  in 
strument,  rather  than  go  to  the  bother  of  having  the 
Parish  register  corrected  so  that  the  day  of  Edith's 
birth  would  appear  thereon  to  be  August  2ist,  as  it 
really  was." 

"  Pardon  me,  sah,  but  without  going  into  the  mer 
its  of  the  affair  Ah  might  say  that  yo'  second  prop 
osition  may  be  easier  said  than  done,"  broke  in  the 
colonel.  "  Ah  have  not  gone  deeply  into  the  mat 
ter,  as  Ah  said,  but  Ah  have  casually  inquired  of  our 
fam'ly  doctor's  descendants  —  the  good  old  doctor, 
a  truly  remarkable  practitioner  has  gone  beyond  " 

—  he  added  for  my  benefit  — "  and  they  have  given 
me  access  to  his  memorandum  book.     It  distinctly 
gives  the  date  of  ma  baby  sister's  advent  into  this 
world  —  Ah  think  of  her  still  as  a  baby,  gentlemen 

—  as  August  2 ist,  and  if  ma  memory  —  and  Ah 
might  say  that  Ah  have  a  really  remarkable  one  — 
serves  me,  that  is  correct,  family  tradition  to  the 
contrary."     • 

This  information  was  hardly  encouraging,  but  I 
replied  in  as  off-hand  manner  as  possible,  "  Oh,  yes, 
I  remember,  that  was  one  of  the  minor  matters 
about  which  I  came  to  confer  with  Mr.  Borroughs." 
I  salved  my  conscience  with  the  quibble  that  it  was 
in  reality  a  "  minor "  matter.  "  So  this  is  the 


NEGOTIATIONS 319 

Colonel  deVignier.  That  being  the  case  you  need 
not  regard  me  as  a  stranger  to  the  matter,  and,  in 
deed,  I'll  add  my  request  to  his  so  that  I  may  report 
the  satisfactory  termination  of  this  question  to  Miss 
Lee  —  Mrs.  Willard,  I  should  say.  There  is  no 
question  about  the  propriety  of  your  signing  the  deed 
which  Mr.  Borroughs  has  asked  you  to,  I  assume." 

"  Yo'  assumption  is  wholly  unjustifiable,  sah," 
he  replied  hotly.  "  As  Ah  have  previously  remarked, 
Ah  have  not  yet  given  the  matter  any  serious  con 
sideration,  but  if,  upon  looking  car' fully  into  the 
facts  —  all  the  facts  —  Ah  should  find  that  any  ad 
vantage  had  been  taken  of  my  dear  deceased  sister, 
merely  a  child  when  she  died,  Ah  assure  yo'  that  Ah 
would  consider  it  ma  sacred  duty  —  ma  sacred  duty, 
sah, —  to  see  that  belated  justice  was  done.  Fo' 
maself,  Ah  have  absolutely  no  desire  to  add  to  ma 
possessions,  but  fo'  ma  po'  sisters,"  he  brushed  his 
hand  across  his  eyes  affectingly,  "  if  they  have  been 
robbed  of  their  birthright  all  these  years,  Ah  tell  yo' 
Ah  would  fight  the  matter  to  the  highest  co't  in  the 
land,  sah,  until  justice  is  done." 

"  Your  stand  does  you  credit,  sir,  and  I  trust  that 
I  would  do  the  same  myself,"  I  responded  warmly. 
"  I  honor  you  for  it,  but  if  the  facts  are  as  I  under 
stand  them,  no  injustice  has  been  done,  but  a  very 
grave  one  would  result  if  because  of  a  mere  technical 
error  in  recording,  your  sister's  clear  intention  was 


320 MAX  PROPOSES 

defeated  and  the  Lees  robbed  of  their  purchase. 
The  question  arose  in  our  minds  only  because  a  cer 
tain  Northern  corporation,  with  whose  name  and 
purpose  you  are  doubtless  familiar,  having  failed 
to  buy  this  land  from  those  patriotic  girls,  your 
Misses  Lee,  to  strip  of  its  verdure  and  beauty,  have 
openly  boasted  that  they  expect  to  obtain  it  because 
of  the  flaw  which  they  say  makes  the  deed  avoidable. 
Of  course  the  only  inference  is  that  they  expect  to 
bribe  one  of  Miss  deVignier's  heirs  to  contest  the 
validity  of  the  title  on  their  behalf." 

"  Do  yo'  mean  to  insinuate  that  a  corporation,  and 
a  Northern  corporation  at  that,  could  bribe  a  de- 
Vignier ;  could  bribe  me,  sah  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly  not,  Colonel.  Such  a  thought 
is  impossible.  I  merely  mentioned  that  as  our  rea 
son  for  thinking  of  taking  up  this  matter  at  all.  By 
the  way,  won't  you  join  us  in  something  a  little  re 
freshing,  sir?  In  fact,  since  I  am  a  stranger  in 
your  beautiful  city,  won't  you  order  for  us  on  my 
behalf?" 

The  colonel  beamed,  then  scowled  quickly,  "  Ah 
hope,  sah,  that  yo'  do  not  expect  to  influence  ma  de 
cision  on  this  matter  in  this  way." 

"  No,  indeed.  Life  is  too  short  and  full  of  dis 
agreements  at  the  best,  for  a  lawyer  to  make  the 
quarrels  of  his  clients  his  own.  I  try  to  play  the 
game  all  open  and  above  board  with  all  the  cards 


NEGOTIATIONS 


on  the  table,  and  keep  on  friendly  terms  with  my 
opponents  outside  the  court  room,  and  can  there 
fore  ask  them  to  drink  with  me,  with  no  concealed 
or  sinister  meaning." 

<rjust  my  position,  sah,"  he  replied,  smiling  in 
anticipation  again,  "  In  ma  younger  days  Ah  al 
ways  said  Ah  could  drink  with  an  enemy  and  kill 
him  with  equal  pleasure.  On  a  warm  afternoon  like 
this  Ah  suggest  one  of  our  inimitable  mint  juleps, 
if  it  meets  with  yo'  approval." 

"  The  very  thing.  I  have  always  wanted  to  try 
your  famous  Southern  drink  in  its  own  habitat." 
The  juleps  were  mixed  under  the  colonel's  own  eye, 
brought,  and  consumed  in  the  most  friendly  man 
ner  imaginable,  and  Jack  insisted  that  one  good 
drink  deserved  another,  and  a  second  round  was 
prepared  at  his  order. 

The  air  became  charged  with  good  spirits,  and  the 
colonel  with  interminable  long-winded  reminiscences, 
and  so  half  an  hour  passed. 

Then  Jack  and  I  arose  to  take  our  departure,  on 
a  signal  by  him.  The  colonel  evidenced  great  sur 
prise  at  our  early  termination  of  a  most  delightful 
afternoon,  and  added  earnestly,  "  Allow  me  to  say, 
gentlemen,  that  Ah  will  give  the  trifling  matter  yo' 
have  mentioned,  ma  close  and  immediate  attention. 
Of  co'se,  sah,  if  the  facts  are  as  yo'  have  stated 
them  —  -  an'  Ah  have  no  reason  to  doubt  yo'  word 


822 MAN  PROPOSES 

in  the  matter  —  the  honor  of  ma  fam'ly  demands 
that  Ah  sign  yo'  deed,  yo' —  er  affirmatory  deed  at 
once,  as  yo'  request. 

"  In  fac',  as  a  gentleman  dealing  with  gentlemen, 
Ah  should  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  do  so  without 
mo'  than  yo'  request,  were  it  not  fo'  ma  po'  sisters. 
But  sah,  Ah  could  not  in  honor,  permit  them  to  be 
robbed  of  their  birthright.  That  Ah  could  not  per 
mit,  and  it  is  for  them  only  that  Ah  think." 

"  I  understand  and  appreciate  your  feelings, 
Colonel,  but  I  feel  certain  that  upon  full  investiga 
tion  you  will  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  our  con 
tention  is  entirely  correct,  and  your  attorney  will 
doubtless  advise  you  the  same  way." 

"Ah'm  inclined  to  believe  that  yo're  right,  but 
Ah  do  not  wish  to  act  over-hastily.  Mr.  Borroughs 
has  been  kind  enough  to  act  fo'  me  in  a  few  matters 
of  minor  impo'tance — "  Jack  later  confided  to 
me  that  once,  out  of  charity,  he  had  appeared  for 
him  in  a  poor  debtor  suit  against  him  — "  and  were 
it  not  that  he  represents  my  possible  opponents  in 
this,  Ah  would  refer  it  to  him  with  perfect  confi 
dence.  Ah  rely  upon  his  judgment  entirely  sah,  an' 
Ah  assure  yo'  that  he  is  one  of,  if  not  the  leading 
young  member  of  the  bar  of  this  city." 

Jack  thanked  him  seriously  for  his  kind  apprecia 
tion  and  I  added,  "  In  a  case  of  this  nature  Colonel, 
there  is  always  the  possibility  that  your  counsel, 


NEGOTIATIONS  323 

while  believing  that  your  rights,  if  any,  were  so  un 
certain  that  the  chances  were  that  a  suit  would 
terminate  against  you,  might,  nevertheless,  advise 
you  to  commence  action  to  protect  them.  Any  liti 
gation  of  that  nature  would,  I  am  sure,  be  distaste 
ful  to  my  clients,  and  I  feel  that  I  have  their  tacit 
authority  to  give  you  what  such  a  suit  would  cost 
us  to  defend, —  say  one  hundred  dollars, —  to  pre 
vent  its  being  instituted." 

"  Ah  couldn't  think  of  accepting  such  an  offer, 
generous  as  it  undoubtedly  is  from  yo'  standpoint, 
sah.  Ah  could  not  but  feel  that  it  was  selling  ma, 
—  that  is,  ma  sisters'  birthright  fo'  a  mere  mess  of 
pottage." 

"  Or  even  two  hundred.  I  am  sure  the  Lees 
would  not  want  me  to  haggle  with  a  friend  and 
neighbor  over  any  amount  within  reason." 

"  Ah  ver'  much  appreciate  their  attitude  and  yo's, 
sah,  but  — " 

I  had  cashed  my  certified  check  on  the  way  down 
town,  and  now  meditatively  drew  forth  a  most  im 
posing  roll  of  yellowbacks,  and  began  to  thumb  them 
over  thoughtfully,  saying,  "  Perhaps  I  might  even 
say  that  if  three  hundred  would  be  an  object  — " 

I  heard  Jack  gasp,  and  a  stolen  glance  showed  me 
that  the  colonel's  eyes  were  nearly  popping  out  of 
his  head,  but  he  was  game.  "  As  Ah  have  intimated, 
Mr.  Shaw,  between  friends  money  is  no  object.  It 


324 MAN  PROPOSES 

is  the  principle  involved,  and  Ah  must  refuse.  Yo' 
may  be  assured,  however,  that  Ah  shall  give  the 
question  my  painstaking  attention  without  delay, 
and  furthermore,  if  Ah  can  see  ma  way  clear  to 
oblige  yo',  yo'  may  be  sure  that  Ah  will  cooperate 
with  ma  neighbors  against  the  common  enemy,  the 
Northerners  —  begging  yo'  pardon,  sah." 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that,  sir,  and  for  such 
an  ally  in  our  just  fight  against  the  further  en 
croachment  of  a  grasping  corporation,  I  would  even 
say  four  hundred." 

He  shook  his  head  with  a  sad  smile.  "  Yo'  forget 
ma  sisters.  No  sah,  Ah  could  not  consent  without 
first  conferring  with  ma  old  friend  and  counselor, 
Judge  Roberts  of  our  supreme  co't." 

"  Or  even  five  hundred,"  I  finished,  regretfully 
returning  the  roll  to  my  pocket,  whereat  Jack  drew 
a  big  sigh  of  relief,  and  the  expression  on  the 
colonel's  countenance  was  so  ludicrous  that  I  nearly 
laughed  in  his  face.  With  a  final  word  of  adieu  we 
started  for  the  steps,  Jack  fairly  pushing  me  out  of 
danger's  way,  and  I  said  over  my  shoulder,  "  Col 
onel,  this  meeting  has  given  me  much  pleasure." 

'  The  honor  is  mutual  sah,"  he  fairly  shouted, 
"  and  believe  me,  Mr.  Shaw,  rather  than  let  yo' 
depart  with  the  idea  that  Ah  am  unreasonable  in 
the  position  Ah  have  taken,  or  that  Ah'm  influenced 
by  the  prospect  of  acquiring  a  ver'  considerable  for- 


NEGOTIATIONS 325 

tune  —  for  the  land,  though  sold  for  a  mere  song, 
Ah  repeat,  a  mere  song,  is  now  of  great  value,  Ah'm 
informed  —  Ah  would  agree  to  accept  yo'  proposi 
tion  on  the  spot.  Indeed,  sah,  rather  than  that,  Ah'll 
now  waive  all  personal  considerations  and  accept 
the,  er,  five  hundred  was  the  figure  Ah  believe,  in  the 
spirit  in  which  yo'  offer  was  made  —  and  here's  ma 
hand  on  it,  sah." 

From  the  agility  with  which  he  came  down  the 
steps  one  would  never  have  supposed  that  he  was 
crippled  by  an  old  wound,  and  I  thought  Jack  was 
going  to  drop  dead  at  this  turn  of  affairs. 

I  could  imagine  the  thoughts  that  were  running 
rampant  in  his  mind,  and  he  may  well  have  con 
sidered  me  the  victim  of  a  sudden  attack  of  insan 
ity  thus  to  pay  such  a  sum  to  defeat  a  possible  claim 
so  remote  that  the  chances  were  one  hundred  to 
one  against  its  validity.  But  he  could  not  read  my 
mind,  or  possibly  know  that  I  would  have  given  all 
I  had  to  protect  Margaret's  property  from  a  hint 
of  danger,  and  her  from  a  moment's  worry.  It 
had  wholly  ceased  to  be  a  business  proposition  with 
me.  It  was  an  offering  on  the  altar  of  love. 

A  moment  later  the  colonel's  flourishing  signature 
had  been  affixed  to  the  deed  and  a  receipt,  he  was 
richer  by  five  brand  new  hundred-dollar  bills,  and 
was  toasting  us  in  flowing  periods  and  a  third  julep, 
ordered  this  time  at  his  expense. 


326 MAN  PROPOSES 

With  a  mighty  effort  Jack  mastered  his  feelings 
until  we  were  out  of  earshot.  Then  the  vials  of  his 
wrath  burst  forth  upon  me.  In  no  uncertain  terms 
he  told  me  just  how  many  kinds  of  a  fool  I  had 
been,  completely  exhausting  his  vocabulary  on  me 
and  ending  up  by  saying  lamely,  "  And  in  spite  of  all 
my  advice,  legal  and  otherwise,  here  you  allow  your 
self  to  be  robbed  outrageously  by  the  biggest  fake 
south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line.  I'm  ashamed  of 
you,"  he  continued,  with  his  disgust  growing  again. 
"  Either  you've  got  money  to  burn,  or  are  plumb 
crazy.  If  this  is  a  sample  of  you  Northern  lawyers' 
methods,  I'm  going  to  pack  my  grip  this  minute  and 
take  the  next  train  for  Boston.  I  could  make  my 
everlasting  fortune  in  six  months  skinning  you." 

When  he  finally  stopped  for  lack  of  breath,  I 
laughed  and  said,  "  My  boy,  from  your  standpoint 
your  energetic  remarks  are  pertinent  and  probably 
justified,  but  in  this  particular  case  there  is  a  reason 
which  I  cannot  impart  to  you,  that  makes  the  clean 
ing  up  of  this  apparently  small  matter  of  the  first 
importance  to  me,  personally,  as  well  as  to  the  Lees." 
I  was  thinking  of  Manners  and  our  quarrel. 

The  money  I  had  used  was,  strictly  speaking,  my 
own,  for  Mr.  Willard  had  given  it  to  me  to  use 
without  any  strings  attached,  but  I  preferred  to 
regard  it  as  his  still,  and  I  knew  that  he  would 
heartily  approve  of  the  use  to  which  I  was  putting 


NEGOTIATIONS 327 

it.  I  shuddered  at  even  the  thought  of  keeping  it 
myself;  it  would  be  no  other  than  blood  money  in 
my  mind. 

"  And  now,  Jack,"  I  continued,  "  I'm  going  to 
fix  your  fee  in  this  affair  myself  and  you  are  to  have 
nothing  to  say  about  it.  You  have  done  a  good  job, 
but  your  compensation  is  not  to  be  based  upon  the 
work  you  have  done  but  upon  the  amounts  involved 
and  the  importance  of  the  victory  in  our  eyes,"  and 
I  counted  out  the  other  five  hundred,  and,  rolling  it 
up  tightly,  slipped  it  into  his  side  pocket. 

He  looked  at  me  as  though  he  really  thought  I 
were  mad,  and  then  replied,  "  Well,  you  are  crazy 
if  you  think  for  an  instant  that  I'm  going  to  accept 
that,  for  a  day's  work,  especially  when  you  did  the 
most  important  part  of  it  yourself.  If  I  ever  tell 
the  Lee  girls  about  your  behavior  this  afternoon, 
and  the  way  you  have  thrown  their  money  away, 
they'll  fire  you  P.  D.  Q.  and  sue  you  for  breach  of 
trust  and  misappropriation  of  funds  to  boot.  Here, 
take  this  back." 

"  No.  I'm  in  earnest,  and  I  promise  you  that  they 
will  find  no  fault  with  my  liberality.  Take  it,  Jack, 
and  my  heartiest  thanks  go  with  it,  only  don't 
spend  it  all  in  riotous  living." 

"  I  can't  make  it  out  at  all,"  he  said,  shaking  his 
head.  But  my  heart  was  beating  with  exultation. 
However  slight  the  possibility  of  trouble  for  the  Lee 


328 MAN  PROPOSES 

girls  may  have  been,  I  had  beaten  Manners'  horse, 
foot  and  artillery,  and  won  for  Margaret.  And  I 
had  got  rid  of  the  money,  the  very  sight  of  which 
filled  my  soul  with  loathing  —  and  I  knew  that  Wil- 
lard  would  never  agree  to  receive  it  back. 

Jack  continued  to  shake  his  head,  saying,  "  Either 
there's  something  back  of  this  beyond  my  compre 
hension,  or  you've  suddenly  lost  your  mind.  A 
cool  thousand  dollars  for  a  deed  that,  in  all  prob 
ability,  is  absolutely  unnecessary.  That's  my  idea 
of  tossing  good  money  into  the  fire,  and  I  bet  I'll  be 
pinched  yet  for  receiving  stolen  goods,  or  as  an 
accessory  to  embezzlement  or  highway  robbery  or 
something.  However,  since  I  don't  see  how  I  can 
very  well  have  you  thrown  into  jail  or  shut  up  in  a 
lunatic  asylum,  here  goes,"  and  he  put  the  roll  into 
his  pocket-book. 

"  Now,  young  man,  you're  my  guest  for  the  next 
two  weeks,  and  if  during  that  time  you  offer  to  pay 
a  bill  of  any  kind,  nature  or  description,  I'll  have  you 
taken  out  and  shot  at  sunrise.  I  warn  you  fairly. 
You  deserve  to  die  for  to-day's  work,  anyway." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

IN    WHICH    I   LIFT    MINE   EYES    UNTO   THE   HILLS 

To  me,  a  man  city  born  and  bred,  whose  nearest 
approach  to  real  nature  had  hitherto  been  an  occa 
sional  brief  fishing  or  yachting  trip,  the  succeeding 
fortnight  was  a  revelation,  and  had  it  not  been  for 
the  inward  pain  gnawing  at  my  heart,  would  have 
been  one  of  unmixed  delight. 

We  traveled  light,  our  paraphernalia  —  consist 
ing  of  a  small  tarpaulin  shelter  tent,  a  change  of 
clothing,  bedding,  guns,  fishing  tackle  and  a  few  pro 
visions  for  emergencies  —  being  "  toted  "  by  a  mild 
gray  mule,  while  we  footed  it. 

We  left  the  train  at  a  small  way  station  at  the 
very  base  of  the  Cumberlands  and  climbed  through 
forest,  pass  and  ravine  over  the  mountains  to  the 
Tennessee  side,  amid  scenes  of  unrivaled,  rugged, 
wild  beauty  and  past  many  little  settlements  or  soli 
tary  cabins  of  the  primitive  mountaineers.  This 
was  an  old  stamping-ground  for  Jack,  and  at  every 
cabin  he  met  with  a  welcome,  which,  had  I  not 
known  in  advance  that  he  was  a  privileged  char 
acter  in  this  section,  would  have  seemed  to  give  the 

329 


330 MAN  PROPOSES 

lie  to  the  writers  whose  novels  laid  so  much  stress 
on  the  distrust  and  hatred  of  these  people  for  all 
"  furriners." 

Save  for  an  occasional  terrific  thunder-storm, 
characteristic  of  that  region  and  altitude,  the  weather 
was  ideally  clear,  and  I  found  the  people  so  quaint 
and  interesting,  and  so  genuinely  hospitable  and 
friendly  withal,  that  my  heart  opened  to  them  at 
once.  Homely,  uncleanly,  and  illiterate  they  were 
as  a  class,  to  be  sure,  and  yet  their  splendid  blood, 
the  purest  in  America,  made  itself  evident  in  many 
sterling  virtues,  and  here  and  there  I  found  a 
maiden  of  wonderful  beauty  and  sweetness,  or  an 
old  philosopher,  who,  with  the  added  education  and 
polish  of  civilization,  would  have  shone  unexcelled 
in  any  city  of  the  land. 

If  I  had  unconsciously  anticipated  any  thrilling 
adventures  I  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  our 
trip  was  wholly  uneventful. 

We  made  and  parted  from  new  friends  day  by 
day,  we  hunted  and  fished  when  the  spirit  moved, 
explored  deep  woods,  their  virgin  splendor  yet  un- 
marred  by  the  ax  of  man,  or  deep  picturesque 
ravines.  We  lost  our  way  —  if  it  could  be  said 
that  we  had  one  to  lose  —  found  it  again,  or  another 
even  more  interesting,  loafed,  smoked,  and  slept  the 
sleep  of  the  just  from  early  even  to  sun  up. 

I  learned  to  find  the  purest  gems  of  thought  hid- 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  331 

den  in  the  rude  speech  of  some  wayside  sage,  and 
spent  many  an  hour  acquiring  wisdom  at  the  feet  of 
some  uncouth  mountaineer,  whose  natural  intellect, 
scarcely  scratched  by  the  cultivating  tools  of  educa 
tion,  towered  far  over  my  own. 

Under  the  trees  at  noontide  or  the  stars  at  night, 
I  came  at  length  to  learn  something  of  Mother  Na 
ture's  wonderful  lesson  to  man,  and,  in  the  solitude 
of  the  mighty  mountains,  to  find  peace. 

Fate  had  surely  sent  me  there  for  this  purpose. 
If  a  man  is  troubled  at  heart  or  sick  at  soul  let  him 
flee  the  city  and  the  haunts  of  men.  For  a  little 
time  indeed,  his  thoughts  may  torture  him  more 
keenly  in  the  silence  of  the  woods  and  hills  or  sea, 
than  amid  the  excitement  of  his  everyday  life.  But 
as  surely  as  the  sun  rises  and  sets,  Nature  will  speak 
to  his  soul  at  last. 

Before  the  calm,  majestic  greatness  of  the  out-of- 
doors  his  little  spirit  will  gain  a  realization  of  its 
own  insignificance,  and  as  the  readjustment  comes, 
the  grief,  which  before  seemed  to  him  so  overwhelm 
ing,  will  slip  from  his  heart  like  a  heavy  weight. 
The  memory  of  it  may  never  be  effaced,  but  the  bit 
ter  poignancy  is  gone  forever. 

So,  at  least,  I  found  it. 

A  friend  may  speak  words  of  consolation  for  a 
moment;  the  cheerful  mountain  brook  is  forever 
whispering  a  message  of  hope  and  encouragement. 


332 MAN  PROPOSES 

A  friend  may  try  to  ease  your  burden  by  reminding 
you  that,  heavy  as  it  is,  it  might  have  been  worse; 
the  tempest  and  the  hurricane  beat  their  awe-inspir 
ing  message  into  your  brain,  "  Behold  in  us  the  vials 
of  the  wrath  of  God.  What  is  a  grief  like  yours 
compared  to  that  we,  in  a  single  moment,  can  cause 
to  a  thousand  hearts  ?  "  A  friend  may  tell  you  that 
although  your  sorrow  is  bitter,  the  Lord  is  pitying 
and  will  help  you  bear  it;  the  stars  and  trees  and 
rocks  whisper  together,  "  Here  is  God,  commune 
with  Him  through  us,  and  find  rest  for  your  soul." 
One  evening  as  we  sat  in  silence  on  the  highest 
point  of  the  divide  and  watched  the  sun  set  in  flam 
ing  glory  behind  the  lower  range  to  the  west,  this 
message  of  Nature  came  to  me  and  filled  my  heart. 
It  seemed  as  though  on  the  instant  an  invisible  sooth 
ing  hand  had  passed  over  my  fevered  soul.  The 
thought  of  Margaret's  love  changed  from  one  of 
torture,  to  a  lovely  memory,  a  message  of  strength 
and  cheer  for  the  long  years  to  come.  I  felt  my 
spirit  growing  bigger,  stronger. 

At  the  end  of  our  stay,  to  Jack's  unbounded  de 
light,  I  was  cheerful,  at  least  ten  pounds  heavier, 
hard  as  iron,  and  my  summer's  tan  had  deepened  into 
a  weather-beaten  brown  through  which  the  healthy 
red  showed  warmly  wherever  my  face  was  not  cov 
ered  by  a  fortnight's  growth  of  beard. 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  333 

With  the  keenest  regret  we  parted  from  our 
friends,  human  and  inanimate,  and  last  but  not  least, 
from  our  faithful  pack  mule,  and  took  the  train  for 
Petersburg. 

As  we  neared  civilization  once  more,  a  little  of 
the  old  restiveness  came  upon  me,  and  it  increased 
markedly  as  we  approached  our  destination. 

My  watch  told  me  at  last  that  we  were  within 
half  an  hour's  ride  of  the  city.  Jack  had  gone  into 
the  smoker  for  a  few  puffs  at  the  solacing  weed,  and 
I  was  alone  with  the  equipment  as  the  train  sped  be 
tween  broad  cultivated  acres  and  pretty  little  villages 
in  the  windows  of  which  evening  lights  were  begin 
ning  to  twinkle. 

Suddenly  the  voice  of  the  guard  broke  in  upon  my 
somewhat  somber  thoughts,  calling,  "  Fairdale, 
Fairdale." 

Fairdale!  The  name  startled  me  inordinately. 
For  a  moment  I  could  not  account  for  the  quick 
pounding  of  my  heart.  Then  I  remembered.  Fair- 
dale  County  and  the  little  town,  the  nearest  station 
to  the  Lee  homestead !  The  brakes  sang ;  the  train 
leisurely  came  to  a  standstill.  A  passenger  or  two 
arose  and  prepared  to  make  their  departure. 

Suddenly  an  irresistible  impulse  seized  upon  me. 
I  must  get  off  and  look  for  a  moment  at  least,  upon 
the  home  of  my  dear  one,  the  house  where  she  had 
been  born  and  lived  all  her  life. 


334 MAN  PROPOSES 

Hastily  scribbling  on  an  old  envelope,  a  note  of 
vague  explanation  for  Jack,  closing  it  with  the 
promise  to  join  him  later  in  the  evening,  I  swung  off, 
just  as  the  train  was  gathering  headway  again. 

I  had  no  trouble  in  learning  the  road  that  led 
to  the  Lee  mansion,  which  lay  a  full  half  hour's 
walk  from  the  railroad,  and  as  the  last  of  the  twi 
light  failed  and  the  newborn  moon  appeared  in  the 
distant  east,  I  was  walking  slowly,  with  turbulent 
thoughts,  up  the  broad  driveway  o'ershadowed  by 
giant  sycamore  trees.  As  I  had  anticipated,  the 
splendid  old  Virginia  house  was  in  total  darkness 
although  in  one  of  the  many  outbuildings  and  cot 
tages  behind  it  a  light  shone  dimly.  Against  the 
blue-black  sky  the  big  mansion  itself,  with  its  massy 
pillars,  all  a  ghostly  white,  stood  out  majestically. 

I  do  not  know  how  long  I  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
broad  steps  within  the  deep  shadow  of  the  house, 
dreaming. 

Suddenly  the  perfect  silence  was  broken  by  the 
notes  from  a  piano  played  within  the  room  to  my 
right,  whose  long  windows  gave  upon  the  broad 
veranda.  My  blood  chilled ;  it  was  like  spirit  music 
played  by  a  ghost  of  old  memories,  for  the  melody 
was  that  of  Beethoven's  "Moonlight  Sonata."  I 
stood  transfixed  to  the  spot  as  though  in  a  trance. 
Who  but  one  being  in  all  the  world  played  that 
composition  with  just  that  touch? 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  335 

The  music  died  away  but  I  stood  immovable.  The 
great  door  swung  open  and  in  the  perfect  doorway 
stood  —  Margaret ! 

The  picture  was  almost  the  replica  of  the  one 
which  had  greeted  my  sight  that  never-to-be  forgot 
ten  moonlight  night  three  weeks  before  in  Newport, 
save  that  it  was  all  dimmer,  as  though  I  now  saw  a 
vision  in  a  dream. 

.What  spirit  message  passed  from  my  soul  to 
hers  I  know  not,  but  despite  the  dim  light  that  con 
cealed  more  than  it  revealed  my  rough  mountain 
costume  and  bearded  face,  she  knew  me  instantly, 
and  whispered,  "  You  —  you  here?"  and  her  hands 
went  up  to  her  breast. 

"  You  ?  "  was  all  I  could  reply.  She  looked  paler 
than  before,  but  to  me,  infinitely  more  beautiful, 
with  a  perfect  loveliness  almost  ethereal.  Her 
countenance  appeared  almost  as  white  and  transpar 
ent  as  a  spirit's  in  contrast  to  her  black  gown. 

For  a  full  moment  we  stood  thus,  making  no  move 
to  approach  each  other.  Then,  slowly,  the  thought 
that  if  Margaret  were  here  her  husband  must  be 
also,  burned  its  way  into  my  brain.  I  turned  un 
certainly,  saying  in  a  dull  voice,  "  I  will  go." 

My  words  seemed  to  quicken  Margaret  to  a  real 
ization  of  the  present.  She  came  immediately  down 
the  steps  and  as  she  passed  me  said,  "  No,  you  must 
not  go  —  yet,  John.  Come,  there  is  something  that 


336 MAN  PROPOSES 

you  must  know  first  —  something  that  I  must  tell 
you."  She  did  not  ask  where  I  had  been  or  what 
brought  me  to  her  home,  nor  did  it  occur  to  me  that 
such  a  question  would  have  been  natural,  or  that  any 
explanation  was  necessary.  With  my  mind  in  a 
bewildered  turmoil  of  uncertain  thoughts  I  followed 
her  to  a  deeply  shadowed  arbor  at  one  side  of  the 
spacious  lawn,  and  there  faced  her,  still  standing, 
although  with  a  listless  motion  of  her  hand  she  in 
dicated  a  place  beside  her  on  the  seat  where  she  had 
sunk. 

Again  ensued  a  prolonged  silence  which  I  could 
not  bring  myself  to  break,  and  when  she  did  begin 
to  speak,  it  was  in  a  low,  monotonous  voice,  as 
though  her  spirit  were  dead,  and  another  were  me 
chanically  telling  her  story. 

"  My  little  world  has  come  to  an  end,  I  think, 
John,"  she  began  hesitatingly,  "  if  the  future  holds 
anything  for  me  it  is  now  wholly  hidden,  as  though 
behind  an  impenetrably  dark  curtain  which  I  have 
not  the  will  to  try  and  push  aside,  even  if  I  could. 
It  seems  to  me  as  though  my  soul  had  become  numb, 
and  even  my  love  for  you — "  I  started,  trem 
blingly,  but  she  stopped  my  half-formed  impetuous 
outburst  by  raising  her  hand,  and  continued, 
" —  cannot  now  arouse  it." 

After  another  pause  she  continued,  "  The  morn 
ing  after  you  left  me,  I  went  back  to  Roland,  pre- 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  337 

pared  to  be  and  do  all  that  I  told  you  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  to.  His  first  great  happiness  over  my 
seemingly  voluntary  return  was  wonderful,  and  yet 
heartbreaking  to  me,  but  soon  .  .  . 

"  Perhaps  a  great  love  like  his  —  for,  oh,  I  know 
now  that  he  did  love  me,  as  I  had  never  realized  — 
instead  of  making  one  blind,  as  is  so  often  said, 
brings  a  clearer  vision  than  most  mortal  men 
possess,  for  soon  he  must  have  seen  beneath  the 
mask  which  I  was  trying  to  wear  so  bravely,  and, 
with  first  a  bewilderment,  and  later  a  deep  sadness 
that  wrung  my  heart  to  its  depths,  he  gently  drew 
from  my  unwilling  lips,  little  by  little,  the  true  rea 
son  for  my  return  and  the  story  of  —  our  love." 

Again  I  started,  with  a  question  trembling  upon 
my  lips,  but  she  forestalled  its  utterance  by  saying: 
"  I  need  not  conceal  from  you  the  fact  that  with 
his  first  great  grief  upon  discovering  that  it  was  not 
love  for  him  which  prompted  my  return,  came  a  bit 
ter  anger  against  you,  but,  in  time,  reason  re-asserted 
itself,  his  better  judgment  showing  him  that  you 
were  in  no  wise  blameworthy,  being,  like  himself 
and  me,  merely  the  victim  of  a  bitter  jest  of  Fate. 
Nor  did  he  blame  me,  even  for  my  foolish  —  yes, 
wicked  — ;  deception  from  which  came  the  tragedy 
into  which  all  of  our  lives  have  been  plunged. 

"  He  seemed  to  realize,  with  a  more  than  mortal 
understanding,  that  I  had  already  suffered  punish- 


338 MAN  PROPOSES 

ment  enough  in  the  travail  of  my  soul  which  had 
preceded  and  prompted  my  sacrifice.  He  left  me 
almost  immediately,  and  I  spent  an  hour  alone  in 
misery,  while  he  fought  out  alone  the  greatest  battle 
that  a  man  is  ever  called  upon  to  fight  —  the  battle 
with  Self.  When  he  came  back  his  mind  was  made 
up,  his  course  of  action  fully  determined  upon  and 
he  imparted  his  decision  to  me  almost  with  the 
calmness  and  impartiality  of  a  judge.  He  would 
not  accept  my  sacrifice,  for  he  said  that  he  could 
never  take  to  himself  as  his  wife  a  woman  whose 
heart  he  knew  belonged  to  another.  Neither  would 
he  set  me  wholly  free,  for  he  told  me,  as  though  he 
were  reading  me  like  an  open  book,  that  I  was  young 
and  my  character  still  unmolded.  I  might  not  even 
yet  know  my  real  mind  or  be  certain  that  my  love  for 
you  was  true  and  enduring  —  not  a  mere  passing 
romantic  passion.  Then,  with  a  pitying  gentleness 
that  cloaked  an  iron  resolve  which  I  knew  could  not 
be  shaken,  he  imparted  his  plan  for  my  —  for  our 
future.  He  was  to  leave  me  free  to  act  in  what 
ever  way  my  conscience  might  dictate,  and  himself 
go  abroad  immediately.  For  three  years  he  would 
stay  away  from  America,  nor  during  that  time 
would  he  write  to  me  or  supply  me  with  any  money 
—  for,  of  course,  he  knew  that  I  was  well  supplied 
with  the  necessities  of  life  —  although  he  said  that 
he  did  not  intend  to  alter  .the  will  he  had  already 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  339 

made  in  which  he  had  left  to  me  all  that  he 
possessed." 

This  time  my  look  of  growing  understanding 
caught  her  glance  and  she  answered  my  unspoken 
thought,  saying,  "  You  have  guessed  his  purpose, 
which  was,  as  he  told  me,  in  this  way  to  furnish  me 
with  a  legal  cause  under  the  laws  either  of  Massa 
chusetts  or  Virginia  for  divorcing  him  quietly  and 
without  a  contest,  if,  at  the  end  of  that  long  period, 
I  found  that  my  heart  still  remained  steadfastly 
yours. 

"  He  promised  me  that  during  these  years  he 
would  so  live  that  if  I  should  ever  change  my  mind 
and  feel  that  I  really  wanted  him,  he  could  come 
back  to  me  more  worthy  of  my  love  and  respect 
than  he  had  been  before,  and  he  said  that  one  word 
from  me  would  suffice  to  bring  him  home,  but  of 
his  own  volition  he  would  not  come.  Destiny  had 
decreed  that  each  of  us  should  bear  a  cross,  and, 
whatever  ive  might  do,  he  would  bear  his  patiently 
and  without  complaint.  Yours,  if  you  were  man 
enough  to  take  it  up  and  carry  it,  would  be  to  leave 
me  as  he  had,  refraining  from  any  endeavor  to  in 
fluence  me  by  word  or  action,  while  I  underwent 
alone  and  unaided,  the  test  which  should  make  or 
break  my  soul  and  decide  the  future  for  us  all. 
This  would  be  my  burden,  and  to  it  would  be  justly 

Padded  the  necessity  of   facing  an  inquisitive  and 


340  MAN  PROPOSES 

callous  world,  for  he  meant  to  leave  me  without  any 
explanation,  and  I  could  scarcely  hope  to  keep  such 
a  rare  morsel  as  our  separation  from  insinuating 
and  gossiping  tongues. 

"  As  Roland  unfolded  his  plan  it  seemed  to  me  as 
though  not  he,  but  some  deity  were  pronouncing  an 
immutable  decree  which  must  be  obeyed,  nor  could 
any  arguments  or  pleas  of  mine  shake  his  deter 
mination.  He  left  me  that  evening,  and  I  have 
come  home  to  face  my  little  world  without  explana 
tion  or  complaint,  if  I  can,  and  to  bear  my  cross  as 
he  willed,  until  God  takes  it  from  me  and  shows 
me  the  true  path  through  the  shadows  in  which  the 
future  is  now  enshrouded." 

She  stopped,  and  then  added  slowly,  and  with  a 
calmness  which  brought  its  counterpart  out  of  the 
chaos  that  filled  my  soul,  "  And  I  know  that  you  will 
do  the  same,  John,  sure  —  as  I  am  —  that  our  love 
will  somehow  find  a  way  to  teach  us  how  to  bear 
our  lot  unflinchingly  until  the  clouds  are  lifted." 

Not  one  word  had  I  uttered  during  her  recital, 
nor  could  I  speak  even  now.  Understandingly, 
Margaret  rose,  and  with  a  stifled  sob  which  shook 
her  whole  being,  she  passed  by  me  without  even  a 
touch  of  the  hand  or  a  glance,  and  walked  very 
slowly  from  the  arbor  and  across  the  lawn  to  the 
darkened  house. 

I  stood  immovable  until  I  heard  the  big  front 


I  LIFT  MINE  EYES  341 

door  close  behind  her,  and  then  turned  and  faced  the 
future  with  a  feeling  as  though  the  greatest  part  of 
myself  had  been  suddenly  taken  away  from  me, 
leaving  a  void  which  nothing  could  ever  fill. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

IN   WHICH    MORE   THAN   TWO   YEARS   PASS 

FORTUNATELY  for  mankind  it  has  been  endowed 
with  a  God-given  power  to  endure  the  many  ills  that 
flesh  and  mind  are  heir  to  until  the  bodily  pain  or 
mental  torture,  be  it  ever  so  sharp,  eventually  yields 
to  the  great  healer  —  Time.  Indeed,  it  is  more 
than  fortunate;  it  is  an  absolutely  necessary  adjunct 
to  the  Creator's  plan  for  the  world  that  man  can 
turn  from  the  bitter  loss  of  his  loved  ones,  sure, 
from  the  experience  of  other  men  throughout  all 
the  ages,  that  the  poignancy  of  his  heartache  will, 
in  time,  pass  from  him,  and  that  he  will  receive  the 
required  strength  and  courage  to  enable  him  to  re 
turn  to  his  daily  round  of  duties  to  find  in  them, 
if  not  the  happiness  he  formerly  knew,  at  least  an 
antidote  to  his  pain. 

So  it  was  with  me.  With  my  will  made  strong  by 
the  memory  of  Margaret's  strength  and  purity  of 
purpose,  I  returned  home  at  once  to  take  up  my 
burden,  and,  if  I  could,  bear  it  as  unfalteringly  as  I 
knew  she  was  to  bear  hers. 

Jack  Borroughs  had  importuned  me  to  remain 

342 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  343 

in  Petersburg  and  form  a  partnership  with  him, 
when  I  told  him  that  I  had  ended  my  connection  with 
my  former  employers,  but,  greatly  as  such  an  ar 
rangement  might  have  appealed  to  me  under  other 
circumstances,  I  could  not  then  bear  the  thought  of 
being  constantly  so  near  to  Margaret.  I  felt  that 
my  will  could  not  endure  so  great  a  test. 

Firmly  resolved  to  start  in  practice  for  myself, 
I  hastened  back  to  Boston  immediately,  nor  was  my 
decision  to  be  altered,  even  though  Mr.  Thomas  most 
kindly  urged  me  to  resume  my  former  connection 
with  his  firm,  adding  financial  inducements  which, 
a  month  previous,  would  have  sent  my  spirits  soar 
ing  skyward.  Incidentally,  during  our  conversation 
in  his  office,  whither  I  had  gone  to  make  a  brief 
formal  report  of  my  mission,  he  told  me  that  Mr. 
Willard  had  ascribed  to  me  the  full  credit  for  its 
successful  outcome  as  far  as  the  return  of  his  wife 
was  concerned,  but  had  added  that,  unhappily,  they 
had  found  that  the  breach  between  them  was  too 
wide  to  be  bridged  at  once.  He  had  apparently  dis 
missed  the  matter  with  that  unsatisfactory  explana 
tion  coupled  with  the  request  that  the  same  secrecy 
be  maintained  about  the  whole  matter  as  thereto 
fore,  and  I  could  see  that  this  marked  reticence,  con 
trasting  so  strongly  with  his  former  full  disclosure 
of  all  the  details  of  his  marital  difficulties  to  his 
counsel,  had  strongly  aroused  Mr.  Thomas'  curios- 


344  MAN  PROPOSES 

ity.  But  if  he  had  hoped  to  have  some  light  shed 
on  the  true  status  of  the  affair  and  the  reason  for 
his  client's  sudden  change  of  attitude  by  his  inter 
view  with  me,  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment, 
for  I  felt  under  no  obligation  more  than  briefly  to 
outline  the  manner  in  which  I  had  come  to  know 
Mrs.  Willard. 

Mr.  Thomas  also  handed  me  to  read,  several  clip 
pings  from  the  news  and  society  columns  of  New 
York  and  Boston  papers  of  the  week  before,  which 
commented  with  all  manner  of  pertinent  and  im 
pertinent  conjectures  upon  the  astonishing  fact  that 
Mrs.  Roland  Willard,  who  had  been  married  less 
than  a  month  before,  had  re-appeared  at  her  own 
home  in  Fairdale  without  her  husband,  or  vouch 
safing  any  explanation  for  this  singular  fact.  And, 
because  of  her  complete  and  unaccountable  silence, 
and  the  fact  that  no  one  could  discover  where  Wil 
lard  was  —  for  he  had  apparently  somehow  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  Europe  and  joining  his  yacht 
without  his  identity  having  been  disclosed  —  this  as 
tonishing  mystery  in  high  social  circles  became  a 
seven  days'  wonder,  and  my  heart  bled  for  the  girl 
who,  alone  and  with  no  one  to  share  her  sorrow,  had 
to  endure  this  painful  notoriety  and  these  unpleas 
ant  insinuations.  But,  like  all  seven  days'  wonders, 
the  world  hastened  to  forget  it  as  soon  as  some  new 
sensation  occurred  to  tickle  its  imagination,  and  it 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  345 

was  only  referred  to  again  at  longer  intervals  there 
after  when  Willard  was  reported  as  having  been 
seen  in  some  out-of-the-way  part  of  the  world  as  a 
member  of  some  daring  hunting  or  exploring  ex 
pedition.  At  such  times  the  old  flame  was  tem 
porarily  fanned  into  life  again  and  the  story  retold 
with  new  conjectures  and  embellishments. 

Shortly  after  my  return  I  received  a  letter  from 
Jack  which  finally  closed  one  of  the  matters  in  which 
my  life  had  been  involved,  for  in  spite  of  Mr.  Ham 
mond's  prophecy,  Manners,  realizing  that  he  was 
squarely  beaten,  made  no  further  attempt  to  secure 
the  Lee  property,  and  my  path  and  his  have  never 
crossed  since. 

The  letter  read, 

"  Dear  John : 

"  I  have  a  piece  of  news  for  you  which  has  been  to 
me  as  much  of  a  riddle  as  your  own  behavior  when  you 
were  here,  but  perhaps  you  may  have  the  key  and 
discover  the  answer. 

"  A  few  days  after  you  left,  I  was  astonished  to  re 
ceive  a  call  from  Mrs.  Roland  Willard.  I  had  known 
her  by  reputation  for  some  years,  of  course,  but  never 
met  her  personally,  and,  of  course,  I  had  read  about 
her  inexplicable  separation  from  her  husband.  For  a 
moment  I  did  not  know  but  that  she  had  come  to  con 
sult  me  about  that  very  matter,  and  I  had  visions  of 
being  one  of  the  central  figures  in  a  sensational  divorce 
case.  But  no  such  luck.  It  seems  that  the  old  de- 


346 MAN  PROPOSES 

Vignier  ladies  had  told  her  something  about  what  had 
been  going  on  in  her  absence  with  relation  to  her  prop 
erty,  and,  of  course,  got  it  all  hopelessly  twisted  up. 
She  wanted  to  hear  the  truth  and  I  explained  the  situa 
tion  in  detail,  showing  her  your  first  letter  and  de 
scribing  what,  under  your  instructions,  I  myself  had 
done,  and  what  you  had  accomplished  personally. 

"  During  my  recital  Mrs.  Willard  acted  about  as 
strangely  as  you  had,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  it  was 
the  first  time  she  had  heard  of  the  matter.  Indeed  I 
would  not  have  been  surprised  to  have  had  her  repudi 
ate  the  whole  transaction  and  demand  my  fee  back, 
but  instead  of  that  she  sat  almost  without  moving  until 
I  had  finished,  and  then  amazed  me  by  bursting  into 
tears.  When  she  had  calmed  down  a  little  she  further 
dumbfounded  me  by  trying  to  get  me  to  accept  a  still 
further  fee  in  the  matter,  and  when  I  refused,  some 
what  brusquely,  I'm  afraid,  insisted  that  henceforth  I 
regard  myself  as  her  attorney  for  the  purpose  of  man 
aging  her  affairs  in  Virginia,  so  I  have  something  more 
to  bless  you  for. 

"  But  what  struck  me  as  the  strangest  part  of  the 
whole  interview,  in  thinking  it  over  later,  was  the  fact 
that  she  did  not  once  speak  your  name  or  either  com 
mend  or  condemn  you  for  the  action  you  had  taken. 
The  whole  affair  is  beyond  me." 

There  was  a  little  more  to  the  letter  but  it  was 
immaterial,  and  I  had  my  reward  in  knowing  that 
Margaret  knew  what  I  had  accomplished  —  for  her. 

I  opened  a  modest  office  alone,  and,  as  though  the 
fickle  Goddess  of  Fortune  were  at  last  trying  to  make 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  347 

material  amends  for  the  injury  she  had  done  me, 
she  caused  my  practice  to  prosper  beyond  my  ex 
pectations.  Not  only  did  Thomas,  Richards  and 
Henry  turn  many  a  small  matter  in  my  direction, 
but  in  Mr.  Hammond  and  Bert  and  Marion  Aldrich 
I  found  splendid  clients  —  indeed  I  sometimes  had 
a  feeling  that  they  purposely  "  made  "  business  for 
me.  The  latter  two  were  married  during  the  first 
winter  after  my  visit  to  Newport,  and  I  had  almost 
sacrificed  Bert's  friendship  by  refusing,  without  be 
ing  able  to  give  a  convincing  excuse,  to  act  as  his 
best  man  at  the  wedding  —  which,  of  course,  took 
place  at  Fairdale. 

And  thus  the  days  dragged  on  into  weeks  and  the 
weeks  into  months  until  two  long  years  of  working 
and  waiting  had  passed,  and  a  third  had  begun. 

The  passing  days  had  left  their  sobering  mark 
upon  me,  and  my  life  moved  on  monotonously,  to  all 
outward  intents  and  purposes  as  though  nothing  out 
of  the  ordinary  had  ever  occurred  in  it.  Pleading 
the  necessity  of  close  application  to  my  professional 
work,  I  went  rarely  into  society  and  consequently 
soon  acquired  the  inevitable  reputation,  bestowed 
by  the  careless,  self-centered  world,  of  being  a  hope 
less  recluse  and  utterly  lacking  in  interest. 

During  all  this  weary  time  not  a  single  word  had 
passed  between  my  dear  one  and  me.  Hear  of  her 
I  did  at  infrequent  intervals,  from  Bert,  and  —  more 


348 MAN  PROPOSES 

rarely  still  —  Marion,  but  whereas  the  former  spoke 
of  her  freely,  though  casually,  the  latter's  remarks 
were  always  studiedly  impersonal,  and  I  assumed, 
rightly,  that  Margaret  had  taken  her  wholly  into 
her  confidence  at  last  and  pledged  her  to  treat  the 
situation  as  we  did  and  to  think  of  us  as  mere  ac 
quaintances. 

Yet  their  brief  mentionings  of  Margaret  and  her 
doings,  meager  though  they  were,  seemed  to  me  at 
first  like  oases  in  the  dreary  desert  of  dragging  days, 
or,  as  time  passed  and  my  vision  of  the  personal 
Margaret  changed  into  a  dreamlike  bitter-sweet 
memory  —  more  like  unreal  mirages  creating  within 
me  yearnings  which  they  could  not  satisfy. 

From  them  I  learned  that,  like  myself,  she  had 
sought  solace  in  labor,  and,  because  of  her  sympa 
thetic  understanding  of  the  troubles  of  others,  her 
helpfulness  and  unostentatious  charities,  not  only  in 
their  own  little  village  but  in  the  neighboring  city 
as  well,  had  won  for  herself  a  place  deep  in  the 
hearts  of  the  suffering  and  needy.  And  so,  be 
tween  the  lines  of  their  spoken  words,  I  read  the 
story  of  the  ever  broadening  and  deepening  of  Mar 
garet's  nature,  and  was  by  it  inspired  to  do  my 
poor  best  to  make  my  own  more  worthy. 

In  but  one  way  did  I  ever  offend  against  even  the 
spirit  of  the  law  laid  down  by  Roland  Willard,  and 
then  it  was  not  with  any  idea  of  influencing  Mar- 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  349 

garet,  but  rather  as  an  offering  secretly  placed  upon 
the  altar  of  my  love.  On  each  Christmas,  and  Mar 
garet's  birthdays,  I  got  Marion  to  procure  for  me 
a  bouquet  of  beautiful  red  roses  and  place  them  with 
the  other  floral  offerings  made  by  the  family,  but 
they  bore  no  distinguishing  mark,  and  if  she  ever 
suspected  that  they  were  other  than  a  gift  of  one  of 
the  household,  I  never  knew  it. 

When  the  second  August  had  come  and  gone, 
and  we  had  entered  upon  the  third  year  of  the  pro 
bationary  period  decreed  by  Roland  Willard,  my  soul 
suddenly  began  to  feel  the  stirrings  of  the  former 
restlessness. 

Not  even  by  applying  myself  more  diligently  than 
ever  to  my  work  could  I  revest  my  spirit  with  the 
calm  with  which  it  had  been  clothed  for  so  long, 
and  each  day  found  my  agitation  increasing.  As 
the  nerves  of  a  distance  runner  after  the  weary  grind 
has  been  almost  completed,  respond  to  the  cry  of 
"  last  lap,"  so  my  thoughts  responded  to  the  knowl 
edge  that  in  less  than  a  year  my  dreams  might  have 
their  fulfillment. 

At  the  same  time  the  terrible  uncertainty  as  to 
what  the  future  really  held  in  store  for  me  added  to 
my  mental  tension.  Was  Margaret's  heart  still 
mine?  Would  she  bring  herself  to  cut  for  my  sake 
the  Gordian  knot  and  free  herself  from  the  legal 
bond  which  bound  her  to  Willard  so  that  we  might 


350 MAN  PROPOSES 

at  last  be  united?  No  matter  how  hard  I  tried  to 
apply  my  mind  to  the  solution  of  the  legal  problems 
which  my  fast  growing  practice  presented,  these  two 
thoughts  sooner  or  later  insinuated  themselves  anew 
into  my  consideration,  for  I  could  never  answer  and 
so  dispose  of  them. 

Eventually  my  restless  uncertainty  became  almost 
unbearable.  I  could  not  work  properly:  my  rest 
was  so  broken  that  I  became  physically  as  well  as 
mentally  nervous ;  the  idea  that  I  must  see  Margaret 
and  learn  the  truth,  even  if  it  spelt  the  doom  of  all 
my  hopes,  became  an  obsession.  In  an  endeavor  to 
fight  it  off  and  recover  something  of  the  calm 
strength  which  I  had  found  in  the  Cumberland 
mountains  two  years  before,  I  eagerly  accepted  from 
a  friend  the  offer  of  his  camp  in  the  Berkshires  for  a 
fortnight,  closed  my  office  without  explanation  and 
sallied  forth  again  into  the  hills  in  search  of  peace. 

But  this  time  it  was  not  a  hopeless  grief  which  I 
was  seeking  to  allay,  but  a  perpetually  upspringing 
hope  which  could  not  be  kept  down,  and  after  the 
first  soothing  influence  of  the  out-of-doors  had 
passed,  the  solitudes  of  nature  were  worse  to  me 
than  the  city  with  its  multitudinous  calls  and  diver 
sions. 

Within  the  week  I  had  returned  to  Boston,  as 
though  drawn  back  by  a  vague  but  irresistible  desire 
to  be  in  instant  touch  with  the  world  of  men,  so 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  351 

that  if  anything,  whatever  it  might  be,  did  happen, 
I  would  be  ready  to  act  at  once.  Little  did  I 
realize  what  Destiny  had  prepared  for  me,  or  with 
what  speed  the  future  was  rolling  down  upon  us. 
As  though  some  active  will  other  than  my  own 
were  directing  my  every  movement,  I  purchased  a 
paper  the  afternoon  of  my  return,  and,  with  barely 
a  glance  at  the  heavy-faced  headlines  on  the  first 
page,  turned  instinctively  to  the  second  and  read, 
"  FAMOUS  SPORTSMAN  RETURNS,  Roland  Willard 
back  from  Africa.  Roland  Willard,  the  Back  Bay 
society  leader  and  sportsman  of  international  repu 
tation,  who,  it  will  be  recalled,  disappeared  from 
America  more  than  two  years  ago  leaving  behind 
him  his  bride  of  a  fortnight  (the  beautiful  Margaret 
Lee  of  Virginia)  under  circumstances  which  have 
never  been  explained,  has  returned  as  unexpectedly 
as  he  went.  He  arrived  in  New  York  yesterday 
noon  on  the  Hesperian  and  left  immediately  on  the 
Richmond  train,  presumably  en  route  to  rejoin  his 
wife  who  lives  just  outside  of  Petersburg,  and  whom 
he  has  not  seen  since  their  honeymoon."  There 
was  more  to  the  article  —  the  old  story  over  again, 
together  with  a  brief  review  of  Willard's  recent  ex 
ploits  in  India  and  the  jungles  of  Africa,  but  al 
though  my  eyes  read  it  again  and  again,  my  brain 
refused  to  register  any  impression  save  the  one  pro 
duced  by  the  first  paragraph. 


352 MAN  PROPOSES 

"  Roland  Willard  had  returned  to  America.  He 
had  gone  immediately  to  Margaret^" 

These  thoughts  hammering  at  my  brain  in  time 
shaped  another. 

"  Either  Margaret  had  sent  for  him  and  it  was 
at  her  desire  that  he  had  come,  or  he  had  broken  his 
promise  to  her  and  returned  on  purpose  to  prevent 
the  running  out  of  the  three-year  period  which  would 
give  her  the  right  to  divorce  him."  In  either  case 
the  ban  had  been  raised  and  I  was  no  longer  bound, 
even  by  my  own  conscience,  to  remain  away  from 
her  whom  I  desired,  or  to  refrain  from  trying  to 
win  her  for  my  own. 

As  a  supposedly  extinct  volcano  sometimes  bursts 
through  the  hardened  crust  above  its  long  smolder 
ing  fires,  so  my  primal  nature  burst  through  the 
superimposed  restraint  of  civilization. 

The  first  alternative  I  had  put  out  of  my  mind  at 
once.  I  would  not  allow  myself  even  to  consider 
it.  But,  as  the  thought  of  Willard's  breach  of  faith, 
and  his  treachery  toward  us  became  more  and  more 
firmly  fixed  upon  me,  my  nature  for  a  little  while 
must  have  reverted  to  the  underlying  primeval  which 
is  in  all  of  us.  I  swore  that  no  matter  to  what  ends 
I  might  have  to  go  I  would  keep  Margaret  from 
him,  and  make  her  my  mate.  Maddened  and 
blinded  with  pent-up  passion,  anger  and  fear,  I 
raved  about  my  room  like  an  enraged  beast.  At 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  353 

last  however,  the  restraining  influence  of  the  ages 
slowly  reasserted  itself.  I  became  calmer,  my 
thoughts  more  collected,  although  my  purpose  re 
mained  unaltered. 

Careless  —  indeed  wholly  regardless  of  conse 
quences  —  and  with  no  real  plan  of  action  in  mind, 
but  only  the  idea  of  making  a  bitter  fight  for  the 
love  which  was  all  in  all  to  me,  I  took  the  first 
train  for  New  York  and  the  South,  and  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  following  day  found  myself  at 
Fairdale,  still  without  a  course  of  action  settled 
upon  but  just  as  determined  as  ever  to  face  what 
ever  situation  I  might  find  existent,  and  to  fight  for 
Margaret  by  whatever  means. 

She  herself  came  to  the  door  in  answer  to  my  per 
sistent  ringing,  and  at  the  sight  of  her  beloved  face 
the  last  slim  barrier  to  restraint  broke  down  and 
my  love  overwhelmed  me. 

"  Margaret !  "  All  the  repressed  love  and  long 
ing  of  the  two  slow,  silent  years  burst  out  in  my 
cry. 

"  Margaret !  He  has  come  back  to  take  you  from 
me,  but  he  shall  not  have  you !  He  shall  not  have 
you,  you  are  mine !  "  I  repeated  the  phrase  wildly, 
seizing  both  her  hands  in  a  viselike  grasp. 

Without  uttering  a  word  of  greeting  or  surprise 
she  looked  at  me,  at  first  with  her  breast  rising  and 
falling  rapidly,  an  unmistakable  lovelight  in  her 


354 MAN  PROPOSES 

dear  eyes  called  into  being  by  my  impetuous,  pas 
sionate  outburst,  but,  after  a  moment,  her  coun 
tenance  changed,  and  over  it  there  settled  a  look  of 
such  unutterable  sadness  that  I  was  silenced  and 
filled  with  a  wave  of  feeling  in  which  bewilderment 
and  shame,  I  knew  not  why,  shared  equally. 

Still  without  speaking  she  turned,  holding  one  of 
my  hands  as  I  slowly  relinquished  hers,  and  led  me, 
as  a  mother  might  her  angry,  rebellious  son,  quietly 
up  the  broad  stairway  within,  along  the  upper  hall 
and  into  a  darkened  chamber. 

Upon  the  snowy  bed  lay  the  figure  of  a  man. 
From  his  pallid,  bearded  face  two  piercing  eyes 
turned  toward  me  with  a  feverish  light  in  them. 
I  knew,  more  by  instinct  than  otherwise,  that  it  was 
Roland  Willard,  but  so  sadly  altered  was  he  that 
had  I  met  him  elsewhere  I  should  not  have  known 
him. 

Slowly,  and  without  the  conscious  will  to  do  so,  I 
moved  toward  the  bed,  feeling,  rather  than  hearing, 
Margaret  depart  from  the  room  leaving  us  alone  to 
gether. 

One  of  Willard's  hands,  in  which  the  sinews  and 
veins  stood  out  piteously,  moved  restlessly  on  the 
counterpane.  He  regarded  me  quietly  a  full  mo 
ment  while  I  stood  there  unable  either  to  speak  or 
think  coherently,  then  spoke  in  a  low  voice  the  one 
word,  "John."  Never  before  had  he  called  me  by 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  355 

my  given  name,  and  yet  somehow  his  use  of  it  now 
did  not  strike  me  as  strange ;  indeed  I  again  experi 
enced  the  feeling  of  sudden  immaturity,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  speaker  was  separated  from 
me  by  a  gulf  of  many  years. 

"  I  know  why  you  have  come,"  he  said  at  length, 
speaking  very  slowly,  and  as  though  each  word  cost 
him  an  infinite  amount  of  strength,  "  but  it  wasn't 
necessary,  John.  I  have  not  come  —  home,"  the 
word  was  uttered  with  obvious  effort,  "  to  take  Mar 
garet  from  you.  A  Will  other  than  yours  or  mine 
has  decreed  that  she  is  not  for  me,  and,  even  were  I 
to  live,  wrhich  is  not  possible  —  and  God  forbid  it  — 
I  know  now  that  she  could  never  be  mine." 

"  Roland,"  came  Margaret's  low,  piteous  cry 
from  the  doorway,  for,  unable  to  tear  herself  away 
from  the  spot,  she  had  remained  in  the  hall  listening 
mutely.  Coming  in,  she  hurried  to  his  side,  and 
taking  his  wasted  hand  pressed  it  against  her  cheek 
as  she  knelt  by  the  bed.  Slowly  releasing  it,  he 
gently  caressed  her  glorious  hair  as  he  continued, 
with  the  slightest  suggestion  of  a  sad  smile  touching 
his  lips,  "  You  must  not  blame  yourself,  dear  one,  but 
I  realize  as  well  as  you  do  yourself  now,  that  your 
heart  is  John's  only  —  perhaps  was  never  really 
mine  —  and  even  your  sympathetic,  sweet  tender 
ness  which  has  helped  me  bear  my  pain  to-day  with 
fortitude,  could  not  deceive  me." 


356 MAN  PROPOSES 

Her  slight  figure  was  shaken  by  a  deep,  restrained 
sob,  and,  gently  patting  her  hand,  Willard  went  on 
almost  as  though  we  were  not  present  and  he  was 
merely  speaking  his  thoughts  aloud, 

"  It  is  indeed  strange  and  wonderful  how  mysteri 
ously  God  works  out  His  plans  for  men.  Two  years 
ago,  although  my  heart  was  rebellious  against  itself 
and  all  the  world,  I  tried  to  arrogate  to  myself  the 
qualities  and  powers  of  a  judge,  even,  indeed,  some 
thing  of  the  omnipotence  of  the  Almighty  Himself 
—  and  I  attempted  to  decree  how  three  lives  should 
be  lived,  little  thinking  that  what  I  might  say  or  do 
counted  not  at  all  in  His  great  plan  for  us.  But 
now  my  soul  has  at  last  been  taught  the  great  lesson 
of  life,  and  I  am  sure  that,  even  if  I  had  not  fallen 
a  prey  to  this  fatal  disease,  which,  more  deadly  than 
the  wild  beasts,  lurks  for  men  in  the  African  jungles, 
I  would  have  bowed  to  the  inevitable  without  further 
protest  —  even  happy  in  her  happiness."  He  paused 
a  moment,  then  added,  "  But  this  is  the  better  way, 
and  I  am  content.  I  have  learned  in  solitude  to 
conquer  self  and  play  the  part  of  a  man  —  as  you 
have,  John  —  and  I  am  ready  to  go  whenever  my 
summons  comes."  Again  he  stopped,  this  time  with 
the  silence  which  comes  from  exhaustion,  and 
neither  Margaret  nor  I  spoke  or  moved.  At  length 
Willard  went  on,  in  a  voice  so  low  that  I  could 
barely  catch  his  words, 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  357 

"  Into  your  loving  keeping,  John,  I  entrust  my  — 
Margaret,  and  I  pray  that  the  years  which  are  to 
come  will  mean  for  you,  what  I  had  once  fondly 
dreamed  that  they  might  mean  —  for  me.  Now 
I  am  very  weary.  Please  leave  me  for  a  little 
while." 

Margaret  rose  from  her  knees  beside  him  and 
turned  with  me  toward  the  door  as  I  moved  away 
after  grasping  Willard's  hand  and  murmuring  some 
almost  unformed  words  more  pregnant  with  feeling 
than  any  real  sentences  could  have  been.  Tears 
which  welled  into  her  eyes  and  ran  unheeded  down 
her  cheeks,  blinded  her.  "  Margaret,  don't  go," 
called  Willard  in  tones  filled  with  pleading  and 
pain.  She  turned  quickly  back  to  him,  and,  alone, 
I  blindly  found  my  way  from  the  room,  down  the 
stairs  and  out  into  the  cool  evening.  Instinctively 
my  steps  turned  toward  the  arbor  where,  two  years 
previous,  Margaret  had  told  me  of  her  husband's 
decree. 

Long  wavering  shadows  were  beginning  to  fill  it 
again. 

The  last  fading  rays  of  daylight  slowly  died; 
darkness  came  on. 

The  stars  shone  out  one  by  one,  the  new  moon 
appeared,  but  I  did  not  move,  and  scarcely  thought 
logically.  The  great  revelation  of  a  love  too  pure 
and  great  to  be  long  of  this  earth,  which  I  had  been 


358 MAN  PROPOSES 

witnessing,  had  left  my  sensibilities  powerless  to 
respond  to  their  ordinary  functions. 

An  hour  passed  —  perhaps  several,  I  do  not  know. 
Then  I  saw  Margaret  approaching  me  through  the 
night,  a  dim,  unreal  figure.  When  she  was  close 
enough  for  me  to  see  her  face,  I  saw  that  it  wore  a 
look  of  such  etherially  sweet  sadness  that  I  did  not 
need  to  hear  her  low  spoken,  "  It  is  all  over,  John," 
in  order  to  know  the  truth. 

Her  voice  broke  the  spell  which  had  been  laid  upon 
my  heart,  and  my  love,  a  love  now  mixed  with  a 
great  pity,  welled  up  within  me  until  it  filled  my 
whole  being,  and  yet  some  invisible  power  still  re 
strained  me  from  taking  her  in  my  arms.  I  felt  at 
that  moment,  as  though  our  former  love  had  been 
purged  of  all  worldly  passion  in  the  fiery  test  which 
we  had  undergone,  Margaret  so  steadfastly,  I  falter- 
ingly,  but  saved  by  her  strength. 

Quietly  she  took  my  hands  as  if  the 
same  thoughts  were  in  her  mind,  saying, 
"  Come." 

I  stepped  close  to  her  side,  and,  as  I  did  so,  her 
form  seemed  to  relax  and  sink  down  limply,  and  to 
save  her  from  falling  I  caught  her  close  to  my  breast. 
Instantly  the  pent-up  sobs,  no  longer  to  be  denied 
expression,  broke  from  her  and  she  clung  to  me 
with  her  soft  arms  tightly  encircling  my  neck. 


TWO  YEARS  PASS  359 

"  Oh,  don't  leave  me,  John !     Don't  ever  leave  me 
again !  "  she  shuddered. 

"  No,  dear  heart,  I  shall  never  leave  you  again," 
I  whispered,  my  lips  seeking  and  meeting  hers. 


THE    END 


SMILES,  A  ROSE  OF  THE 
CUMBERLANDS 

Eliot  Harlow  Robinson 

Author  of  "Man  Proposes" 
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Smiles  is  a  girl  that  is  sure  to  make  friends.  Her 
real  name  is  Rose,  but  the  rough  folk  of  the  Cumber- 
lands  preferred  their  own  way  of  addressing  her,  for 
her  smile  was  so  bright  and  winning  that  no  other  name 
suited  her  so  well. 

Smiles  was  not  a  native  of  the  Cumberlands,  and  her 
parentage  is  one  of  the  interesting  mysteries  of  the 
story.  Young  Dr.  MacDonald  saw  more  in  her  than 
the  mere  untamed,  untaught  child  of  the  mountains 
and  when,  due  to  the  death  of  her  foster  parents  a 
guardian  became  necessary,  he  was  selected.  Smiles 
developed  into  a  charming,  serious-minded  young  wo 
man,  and  the  doctor's  warm  friend,  Dr.  Bently,  falls  in 
love  with  her. 

We  do  not  want  to  detract  from  the  pleasure  of 
reading  this  story  by  telling  you  how  this  situation  was 
met,  either  by  Smiles  or  Dr.  MacDonald  —  but  there 
is  a  surprise  or  two  for  the  reader. 

Press  opinions  on  "Man  Proposes": 

"  Readers  will  find  not  only  an  unusually  interest 
ing  story,  but  one  of  the  most  complicated  romances 
ever  dreamed  of.  Among  other  things  the  story  gives 
a  splendid  and  realistic  picture  of  high  social  life  in 
Newport,  where  many  of  the  incidents  of  the  plot  are 
staged  in  the  major  part  of  the  book."  —  The  Bookman. 

"  It  is  well  written ;  the  characters  are  real  people  and 
the  whole  book  has  '  go."  "  —  Louisville  Post.  8 

jg 

^03^10KSC8XOSOS^1CX!8^ 


TWEEDIE,  THE  STORY  OF 
A  TRUE  HEART 


Isla  May  Mullins 


Author  of  "The  Blossom  Shop  Stories"  etc. 
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In  this  story  Mrs.  Mullins  has  given  us  another  de 
lightful  story  of  the  South. 

The  Carlton  family  —  lovable  old  Professor  Carl- 
ton,  and  his  rather  wilful  daughter  Ruth  —  twenty- 
three  years  old  and  with  decided  ideas  as  to  her  future 
—  decide  to  move  to  the  country  in  order  to  have  more 
time  to  devote  to  writing. 

Many  changes  come  to  them  while  in  the  country, 
the  greatest  of  which  is  Tweedie —  a  simple,  unpreten 
tious  little  body  who  is  an  optimist  through  and 
through  —  but  does  not  know  it.  In  a  subtle,  amus 
ing  way  Tweedie  makes  her  influence  felt.  At  first 
some  people  would  consider  her  a  pest,  but  would 
finally  agree  with  the  Carlton  family  that  she  was 
"  Unselfishness  Incarnate."  It  is  the  type  of  story 
that  will  entertain  and  amuse  both  old  and  young. 

The  press  has  commented  on  Mrs.  Mullins'  previous 
books  as  follows : 

"Frankly  and  wholly  romance  is  this  book,  and 
lovable  —  as  is  a  fairy  tale  properly  told.  And  the 
book's  author  has  a  style  that's  all  her  own,  that 
strikes  one  as  praiseworthily  original  throughout."  — 
Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

"A  rare  and  gracious  picture  of  the  unfolding  of  life 
for  the  young  girl,  told  with  a  delicate  sympathy  and 
understanding  that  must  touch  alike  the  hearts  of 
young  and  old."  —  Louisville  (Ky.)  Times. 


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Henrietta  was  the  victim  of  circumstances.  It  was 
not  her  fault  that  her  father,  cut  off  from  his  expected 
inheritance  because  of  his  marriage,  was  unexpectedly 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  nor  that  he  proved  to 
be  a  weakling  who  left  his  wife  and  daughter  to  shift 
for  themselves,  nor  that  her  mother  took  refuge  in 
Colorado  far  away  from  their  New  England  friends  and 
acquaintances.  Youth,  however,  will  overcome  much, 
and  when  Richard  Bently  appears  in  the  mountains, 
life  takes  on  a  new  interest  for  Henrietta. 

When  her  mother  dies  Henrietta  goes  to  live  with 
Mrs.  Lovell,  who  knew  her  father  years  ago  in  the 
little  Vermont  town.  Mrs.  Lovell  determines  to  do 
what  she  can  to  secure  for  Henrietta  the  place  in 
society  and  the  inheritance  that  is  rightfully  hers. 
The  means  employed  and  the  success  attained  —  but 
that's  the  story. 

"  Only  Henrietta  "  is  written  in  the  happy  vein  that 
has  secured  for  Mrs.  Richards  a  host  of  friends  and 
admirers,  and  is  sure  to  duplicate  the  earlier  suc 
cesses  achieved  for  the  young  people  by  the  Blue 
Bonnet  Series. 

"  The  chief  charm  of  the  book  is  that  it  contains  so 
much  of  human  nature  and  it  is  a  book  that  will  gladden 
the  hearts  of  many  girl  readers  because  of  its  charming 
air  of  comradeship  and  reality."  —  The  Churchman, 
Detroit,  Mich. 


&OSXXQ8X&ttQ^^ 

THE  AMBASSADOR'S  TRUNK 

FJg  $y  George  Barton 

Author  of  "The  World's  Greatest  Military  Spies  and 

Secret  Service  Agents"  "The  Mystery  of  the, 

Red  Flame"  "  The  Strange  Adventures 

of  Bromley  Barnes"  etc. 
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Bromley  Barnes,  retired  chief  of  the  Secret  Service, 
an  important  State  document,  a  green  wallet,  the 
Ambassador's  trunk  —  these  are  the  ingredients,  which, 
properly  mixed,  and  served  in  attractive  format  and 
binding,  produce  a  draught  that  will  keep  you  awake 
long  past  your  regular  bedtime. 

Mr.  Barton  is  master  of  the  mystery  story,  and  in  this 
absorbing  narrative  the  author  has  surpassed  his  best 
previous  successes. 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  collection  of  more 
interesting  tales  of  mystery  so  well  told.  The  author 
is  crisp,  incisive  and  inspiring.  The  book  is  the  best 
of  its  kind  in  recent  years  and  adds  to  the  author's 
already  high  reputation."  —  New  York  Tribune. 

"The  story  is  full  of  life  and  movement,  and  pre 
sents  a  variety  of  interesting  characters.  It  is  well  pro 
portioned  and  subtly  strong  in  its  literary  aspects  and 
quality.  This  volume  adds  great  weight  to  the  claim 
that  Air.  Barton  is  among  America's  greatest  novelists 
of  the  romantic  school;  and  in  many  ways  he  is  re 
garded  as  one  of  the  most  versatile  and  interesting 
writers."  —  Boston  Post. 


THE  BUSINESS  CAREER       1 
OF  PETER  FLINT 

By  Harold  WUlehead 


Assistant  Professor  of  Business  Method,  The  College 

of   Business    Administration,    Boston    University, 

aitihor  of  "  Dawson  Black,  Retail  Merchant," 

"Principles      of     Salesmanship"      etc. 

Illustrated,  cloth,  I2mo,  $1.6$ 


As  Assistant  Professor  of  Business  Method  in  Boston 
University's  famous  College  of  Business  Administration, 
the  author's  lectures  have  attracted  widespread  atten 
tion,  and  the  popularity  of  his  stories  of  business  life, 
under  the  title  of  "The  Business  Career  of  Peter  Flint," 
which  have  appeared  serially  in  important  trade  mag 
azines  and  newspapers  all  over  the  country,  has  created 
an  insistent  demand  for  their  book  publication. 

The  public  demand  for  these  stories  compelled  the 
author  to  continue  them  so  long  that,  were  they  all 
published  in  book  form,  they  would  constitute  a  set  of 
several  volumes.  By  careful  and  scrutinizing  editorial 
work  the  author  has  recast  the  very  best  of  this  material 
for  book  publication,  the  result  being  a  story  that  is 
virile,  compelling  and  convincing  as  it  leads  the  reader 
through  the  maze  of  business  entanglements. 

A  New  York  business  man  wrote:  "  I  have  read  with 
much  interest  the  '  Career  of  Peter  Flint,'  appearing  in 
the  Evening  Sun. 

"  Having   come   to    New    York    fresh    from    college 
8   twelve  years  ago,  I  appreciate  fully  Peter's  experience. 
|    I  want  to  say  that  I  think  your  knowledge  of  human 
8    nature  almost  uncanny." 


ROLLO'S  JOURNEY  TO 
WASHINGTON 

Richard  D.  W are 


Illustrated  with   unique   woodcuts   by   Robert   Seaver. 
Price 


The  boy  of  yesterday  —  the  man  of  today  —  knows 
the  Rollo  books,  and  is  familiar  with  the  method  by 
which  the  mind  of  young  Master  Mollycoddle  was 
improved  by  the  guidance  and  precepts  of  his  father 
and  Uncle  George.  Those  who  survived  such  a  course 
of  purification  and  still  live  will  enjoy  this  story  of 
Rollo's  journey  to  our  national  capital. 

It  is  not  written  for  the  young  in  years,  but  for  the 
young  in  heart  —  for  the  good  citizen  who  can  see  the 
funny  side  of  a  situation  that  is  serious,  and  can  laugh 
at  the  mistakes  and  foibles  of  our  great  men  of  today 
without  malice  or  viciousness. 

The  book  is  about  the  Great  War  which  has  caused 
so  many  tears  of  sorrow,  and  the  author's  only  desire 
is  to  replace  those  litter  tears  with  tears  of  mirth. 


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POLLYANNA:  The  GLAD  Book     (430,000) 

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Pollyanna  has  gone  away,  you  get  her  letter  saying  she  is 
going  to  take  'eight  steps'  tomorrow  —  well,  I  don't  know  just 
what  you  may  do,  but  I  know  of  one  person  who  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands  and  shook  with  the  gladdest  sort  of  sadness 
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ANNE   OF   THE   ISLAND    (isth  printing) 

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Chicago  Record-Herald. 


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NOVELS  BY 

ISLA  MAY   MULLINS 

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THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP:  A  Story  of  the  South 

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ANNE  OF  THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP:  Or,  the  Growing 
Up  of  Anne  Carter 

"  A  charming  portrayal  of  the  attractive  life  of  the  South, 
refreshing  as  a  breeze  that  blows  through  a  pine  forest."  — 
Albany  Times-Union. 

ANNE'S  WEDDING 

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mington,  Del. 

THE  MT.  BLOSSOM  GIRLS 

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story  teller.  The  humor  that  ripples  here  and  there,  the 
dramatic  scenes  that  stir,  and  the  golden  thread  of  romance 
that  runs  through  it  all,  go  to  make  a  marked  success.  It  is  a 
fitting  climax  to  the  series."  —  Reader. 

NOVELS  BY 

DAISY  RHODES  CAMPBELL 
THE  FIDDLING  GIRL 

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THE  PROVING  OF  VIRGINIA 

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will  be  shared  by  many  others."  —  Boston  Transcript. 


LIST   OF   FICTION 


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MARY    ELLEN    CHASE 
THE    GIRL    FROM    THE    BIG    HORN    COUNTRY 

Cloth  12mo,  illustrated  by  E.  Farrington  Elwell. 

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" '  The  Girl  from  the  Big  Horn  Country '  tells  how  Virginia 
Hunter,  a  bright,  breezy,  frank-hearted  '  girl  of  the  Golden 
West '  comes  out  of  the  Big  Horn  country  of  Wyoming  to  the 
old  Bay  State.  Then  things  begin,  when  Virginia  —  who  feels 
the  joyous,  exhilarating  call  of  the  Big  Horn  wilderness  and 
the  outdoor  life  —  attempts  to  become  acclimated  and  adopt 
good  old  New  England  '  ways.'  "  —  Critic. 

VIRGINIA,    OF   ELK    CREEK   VALLEY 

Cloth  12mo,  illustrated  by  E.  Farrington  Elwell. 

$1.50 

"This  story  is  fascinating,  alive  with  constantly  new  and 
fresh  interests  and  every  reader  will  enjoy  the  novel  for  its 
freshness,  its  novelty  and  its  inspiring  glimpses  of  life  with 
nature."  —  The  Editor. 

NOVELS  BY 

MRS.    HENRY    BACKUS 
THE    CAREER    OF   DOCTOR    WEAVER 

Cloth  decorative,  illustrated  by  William  Van  Dresser. 

$1.60 

"  High  craftsmanship  is  the  leading  characteristic  of  this 
novel,  which,  like  all  good  novels,  is  a  love  story  abounding  in 
real  palpitant  human  interest.  The  most  startling  feature  of 
the  story  is  the  way  its  author  has  torn  aside  the  curtain  and 
revealed  certain  phases  of  the  relation  between  the  medical  pro 
fession  and  society."  —  Dr.  Charles  Reed  in  the  Lancet  Clinic. 

THE    ROSE    OF   ROSES 

Cloth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color. 

$1.50 

The  author  has  achieved  a  thing  unusual  in  developing  a  love 
story  which  adheres  to  conventions  under  unconventional  cir 
cumstances. 

"  Mrs.  Backus'  novel  is  distinguished  in  the  first  place  for  its 
workmanship."  —  Buffalo  Evening  News. 

A   PLACE   IN   THE    SUN 

Cloth  decorative,  illustrated  by  William  Van  Dresser. 

$1.50 

"  A  novel  of  more  than  usual  meaning."  —  Detroit  Free  Press. 

"  A  stirring  story  of  America  of  to-day,  which  will  be  enjoyed 
by  young  people  with  the  tingle  of  youth  in  their  veins.'  — 
Zion's  Herald,  Boston. 


THE   PAGE    COMPANY^ 


NOVELS  BY 

MARGARET    R.    PIPER 
SYLVIA'S   EXPERIMENT:   The  Cheerful  Book 

Trade  —  —  —  —  —  Mark 

Cloth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color  from  a 
painting  by  Z.  P.  Nikolaki  §1.50 

"  An   atmosphere   of   good   spirits   pervades   the  book  ;   the 

humor  that  now  and  then  flashes  across  the  page  is  entirely 

natural,  and  the  characters  are  well  individualized."  —  Boston 

Post. 

"It  has  all  the  merits  of  a  bright,  clever  style  with  plenty 

of  action  and  humor."  —  Western  Trade  Journal,  Chicago,  III. 

SYLVIA  OF  THE  HILL  TOP:   The  Second  Cheerful 

Trade  -  Mark 


Cloth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color  from  a 

painting  by  Gene  Pressler  $1.50 

"There  is  a  world  of  human  nature  and  neighborhood  con 

tentment  and  quaint  quiet  humor  in  Margaret  R.  Piper's  second 

book  of  good  cheer."  —  Philadelphia  North  American. 

"  The  bright  story  is  told  with  freshness  and  humor,  and  the 
experiment  is  one  that  will  appeal  to  the  imagination  of  all  to 
whom  the  festival  of  Christmas  is  dear."  —  Boston  Herald,  Bos 
ton,  Mass. 

"Sylvia  proves  practically  that  she  is  a  messenger  of  joy  to 
humanity."  —  The  Post  Express,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

SYLVIA   ARDEN   DECIDES:    The   Third   Cheerful 

Trade  --  Mark 


Cloth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color  from  a 

painting  by  Haskell  Coffin  $1.50 

"  It  is  excellently  well  done  and  unusually  interesting.    The 

incidents  follow  one  another  in  rapid  succession  and  are  kept 

np  to  the  right  pitch  of  interest."  —  N.  Y.  American. 

"  Its  ease  of  style,  its  rapidity,  its  interest  from  page  to  page, 
are  admirable;  and  it  shows  that  inimitable  power  —  'the  story 
teller's  gift  of  verisimilitude.  Its  sureness  and  clearness  are 
excellent,  and  its  portraiture  clear  and  pleasing."  —  The  Reader. 
"  It  is  an  extremely  well  told  story,  made  up  of  interesting 
situations  and  the  doings  of  life-like  people,  and  you  will  find 
it  very  easy  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  different  characters 
through  its  varied  scenes."  —  Boston  Herald. 


LIST   OF   FICTION 


WORKS    OF 

CHARLES    G.    D.    ROBERTS 

HAUNTERS    OF   THE    SILENCES 

Cloth  decorative,  with  many  drawings  by  Charles  Livingston 
Bull,  four  of  which  are  in  full  color.  $2.50 

The  stories  in  Mr.  Roberts's  new  collection  are  the  strongest 
and  best  he  has  ever  written. 

He  has  largely  taken  for  his  subjects  those  animals  rarely 
met  with  in  books,  whose  lives  are  spent  "  In  the  Silences," 
where  they  are  the  supreme  rulers. 

"  As  a  writer  about  animals,  Mr.  Roberts  occupies  an  envi 
able  place.  He  is  the  most  literary,  as  well  as  the  most  imag 
inative  and  vivid  of  all  the  nature  writers."  —  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

RED   FOX 

THE  STOUT  OF  His  ADVENTUROUS  CAREER  IN  THE  RINGWAAK 
WILDS,  AND  OF  His  FINAL  TRIUMPH  OVER  THE  ENEMIES  OF 
His  KIND.    With  fifty  illustrations,  including  frontispiece  in 
color  and  cover  design  by  Charles  Livingston  Bull. 
Square  quarto,  cloth  decorative  $2.50 

"  True  in  substance,  but  fascinating  as  fiction.  It  will  inter 
est  old  and  young,  city-bound  and  free-footed,  those  who  know 
animals  and  those  who  do  not"  —  Chicago  Record-Herald. 

THE   KINDRED    OF   THE   WILD 

A  BOOK  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE.     With  fifty-one  full-page  plates 

and  many  decorations  from  drawings  by  Charles  Livingston 

Bull. 

Square  quarto,  cloth  decorative  $2.50 

"  Is  in  many  ways  the  most  brilliant  collection  of  animal 

stories  that  has  appeared;  well  named  and  well  done."  —  John 

Burroughs. 

THE  WATCHERS  OF  THE  TRAILS 

A  companion  volume  to  "  The  Kindred  of  the  Wild."  With 
forty-eight  full-page  plates  and  many  decorations  from 
drawings  by  Charles  Livingston  Bull. 

Square  quarto,  cloth  decorative  $2.50 

"  These  stories  are  exquisite  in  their  refinement,  and  yet 
robust  in  their  appreciation  of  some  of  the  rougher  phases  of 
woodcraft.  Among  the  many  writers  about  animals,  Mr.  Rob 
erts  occupies  an  enviable  place."  —  The  Outlook. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-Series  4939 


cuaracter.' — noston  Transcript. 

"A  very  fine  novel.  We  unhesitatingly  pronounce  it  .  .  . 
one  of  the  books  that  stamp  themselves  at  once  upon  the  imag 
ination,  and  remain  imbedded  in  the  memory  long  after  the 
covers  are  closed." — Literary  World,  Boston. 


UCSOUT 


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R56l3m 


